


Pathfinders

by KeepCalm97



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Both my girls and their family members are badasses, F/M, Friendship, I kinda suck at writing action scenes plz give me advice, Kurapika must be saved, Leorio Needs More Love, Might not be romance for the kiddies, Multi, Refuse to romance 12 yr olds together so maybe after the time-skip?, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-25
Packaged: 2019-05-28 14:44:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 28,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15051425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeepCalm97/pseuds/KeepCalm97
Summary: They'd never known normal. It'd always been one job to the next. But a couple of years after her older sister ran away, Nyx was determined to navigate her own path in life, wherever it may take her. And it just so happened to land her in the last boat to the Hunter Exam. Where her older sister just happened to be heading to... May the insanity and drama ensue!





	1. A x New x Adventure

**Author's Note:**

> My very first Hunter X Hunter fanfic! It's a mix of the manga and anime so please give me constructive criticism if I miss the mark or I get someone OOC. I love this anime/manga and I wanna try to do it justice. Enjoy!

**Chapter 1: A x New x Adventure**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H X H. If I did, my OCs would totally be canon. I mean, who wouldn’t want their OCs in a freaking awesome anime?**

* * *

 

“Whale Island, huh?” a girl muttered, gazing out the starboard side of the ship as the island grew closer.

She pulled down the hood of her deep blue jacket with a unique symbol on the front and back, outlined in black. Her layered bangs, free from her high ponytail, blew into her dark brown eyes occasionally.

To pass the time, the girl pulled out a sketchbook from her black backpack to draw the island, albeit lacking a lot of experience so it was shaky and disproportioned. A seagull landed next to her on the ship’s edge, squawking while eyeing her.

She edged a smile, pulling a cracker out from her pocket to feed it. The seagull eagerly accepted the salty dry treat, hopping closer to her to nudge her hand. Nyx giggled, relenting to the bird for another cracker.

“Fine, one more. That’s my last one though.”

It squawked happily, flapping its wings a little but deciding to hang around for a bit until they docked.

A boy that looked around her age wearing green boarded and waved at the residents once the ship lifted anchors to sail away, who were amassed to wish him luck and bid him goodbye.

The girl frowned. ‘ _What friendly people. Weird to see.’_

“I’m going to become the best Hunter in the world! Once I’m the best Hunter in the world, I’ll come back!” he called cheerfully.

 _‘Well, he doesn’t lack confidence.’_ the girl mused, glancing at the other applicants.

They seemed ruffled by the boy’s comments, as some decided to laugh and retort back. They mocked his claim, thinking it was out of disrespect.

“Every year, there are millions of skilled applicants for the Hunter exam. But only a handful are selected. Don’t say stuff that you can’t back up, boy.”

They then laughed some more. The girl rolled her eyes. Didn’t they have better things to do?

“Ugh, can you shut up? No one wants to hear you blow up your pride. Or do you wanna get on my bad side again?” she threatened, to which they all shook their heads and minded their own business.

_‘No regrets for the punches I threw earlier. None. Heh, that’s what they get for thinking that just ‘cause I’m a girl they can do whatever they want.’_

Turning to the boy in green, she smiled, holding out a hand. “Don’t mind them, they’re just all talk. What’s your name?”

He smiled back at her and accepted her hand. If there was any boy in the world who could never be hated no matter how hard one tried, it was this one. That was her first impression of him.

“Thanks for that. I’m Gon! Nice to meet you!”

She nodded. “I’m Nyx. Hey, how old are you?”

“Nyx… that’s a nice name! And I’m twelve.”

Nyx flushed, not used to compliments. “T-Thanks. I’m twelve, too.”

Damn it, she couldn’t say it! How was _wanna be friends_ so hard to ask?! Was she _that_ scared of friendship? How pathetic.

“Wow! I didn’t think there’d be anyone else my age taking the exam!” Gon exclaimed excitedly.

Then a loud crash caught their attention. A poor deckhand – Katsuo, she was pretty sure was his name – had been knocked down and kicked in the backside by his fellow sailors. A crate of apples he’d been carrying spilled around him.

She made it down before Gon and swept the sailors off their feet in an instant, despite knowing she’d likely caught his attention from her actions. They slammed to the floor with a loud thud.

“You really should watch your step. It gets kinda slippery here on the deck.” She warned, gazing at the fallen sailors coldly with her hands in the pockets of her knee-length black shorts.

The deckhands glared back at her, ready to engage in verbal and possibly physical sparring, but before anyone could do anything, the captain emerged to straighten out the situation.

The two bully sailors scrambled off to perform their duties after getting snapped at by the man, as Katsuo hurriedly started putting the spilled green apples back into the wooden box with the girl’s help.

“Can you stand?” she queried, glancing him over for any obvious injuries.

“Y-yes, thank you, I’m fine.” He replied with a nervous smile and stood to his feet.

“Didn’t you just hear me?” the captain asked, approaching the younger deckhand, “Move that box!”

“A-Aye, Captain!”

“Hold on!” Gon called, tossing the last fallen apple back into the box with a grin.

Katsuo smiled back appreciatively. “Thanks!”

He then shuffled off to place the box where it belonged. The brunette eyed Gon, who waved goodbye while standing near the Captain. The said captain took another swig of what she assumed was either whiskey or rum. Not that she knew much about alcohol, anyways.

The clouds were starting to thicken and darken. The air turned more humid too. Nyx frowned.

“Two weeks on this ship and now a storm? Ugh.”

She wanted land as quickly as possible to stretch her legs and free herself from the same on-edge applicants and annoying, smelly sailors. A storm might complicate that.

Then Gon went ahead and proved a storm was coming by noticing the swarming seagulls and climbed the crow’s nest at an impressive speed to smell the air. The captain was at a loss for words, but Nyx was more intrigued than surprised.

“Hey, that’s pretty cool.”

He grinned happily at her. “Thanks! So were you!”

“Hm?”

“Y’know, tripping the sailors and all. You were so fast!”

She blushed, flustered once more. “T-Thanks. So how could you tell a storm was coming just by smell? I mean, the seagulls part makes sense to me, but the smell?”

“Oh, so you see, growing up…” Gon started, launching into the explanation of how he learned from sailors on the island how to tell what the changes in the smell of the air meant.

Nyx smiled, still guarded but excited to have met a potential new friend. Gon seemed very talented, kind, and cheerful. So different from anyone else she’d met in her life. They spent the rest of the afternoon together chatting about kids’ stuff – favorite candies and the like. It was weird for Nyx, but oddly satisfying.

The Captain, after asking what Gon’s father did for a living, decided to show him and Nyx the basics of sailing. As Hunters, he said they should be expected to know a bit of everything.

Eventually, they ventured below deck via Captain’s orders because, just as Gon predicted, a huge storm hit. She could hear the rain shooting down in buckets from above as the ship rocked violently from the crashing waves and blustery winds.

Most of the applicants were thrown around as the brunette lied in a hammock, listening to music from her mp3 to drown out the cacophony. She had a bit of trouble staying in the hammock when the captain decided to sail crazily over what she concluded was a massive wave, since everyone else was thrown upside down.

Once it was over, a majority of the others were haphazardly scattered across the room winded, unconscious, or experiencing intense nausea and vertigo. Nyx’s eyes roved over them, smirking in amusement. Only Gon, Blondie, and herself were fine. She was surprised to catch the older-looking guy with glasses – Leonardo? - just sitting against a wall, bored.

Maybe he could actually make it through the Exam, despite looking utterly ordinary and lacking any skills. And that magazine he kept reading – more like leering at – didn’t help his case.

“Hmph. I hope the Exam’s more challenging than this. If not, it’ll be disappointing…” she muttered to herself, deciding to pull her sketchbook out of her backpack to occupy herself, still listening to her music.

Nyx caught the glance Blondie sent her way but ignored it. They weren’t exactly buddies after they met. She was pretty sure she embarrassed him and made things awkward by immediately saying her sister would totally bang him if they happened to meet.

Yeah… better not to say anything.

* * *

 

The Captain had a lot of fun riding out those rough waves. His crew was utterly wrecked in comparison, hurling into sinks and toilets from a combination of vertigo and nausea. Quite disappointing, honestly.

He opened the door to the room with the applicants, scanning the dozens of people thrown around the room haphazardly. 

“Not one of them can stand. Pathetic. And they’re supposed to be taking the Hunter Examination,” he muttered, “Heh! What a laugh!”

He was amused until he heard the boy from before, spotting him giving one of the downed applicants some herbs for nausea. He looked perfectly fine, which surprised the Captain.

He’d been getting surprised by the boy often since he boarded. And he had a hunch who his father was, too. If he really was Ging’s son, it was no wonder the boy was so exceptional.

“That boy…”

Just as he thought the boy – Gon, was it? – was the only one perfectly fine, creaking from a hammock caught his attention.

A blond, older boy lied in a hammock reading a book, unperturbed by the earlier violent storm. He crossed his leg, adjusting his position. Another older man with glasses in a suit sat against a wall, biting into an apple, and complaining about how sour it was.

A sigh redirected the Captain’s eyes onto a young girl, looking around the same age as the boy in green, lying in the hammock across from the blond, frowning while drawing in a sketchbook with earbuds in her ears.

 _‘I see. There are a few tough nuts on board.’_ The Captain thought, just before the scrawny deckhand he’d ordered to move the box full of apples rushed past him with a cup of water for the man the boy in green – he was pretty damn sure his name was Gon – was treating.

“Excuse me! H-Here is your water!”

“Thank you,” the boy replied, accepting it, “Now drink your fill.”

More attention started shifting to Gon, who was too absorbed in caring for the poor, sick man in front of him to notice. The blond, man with glasses, and the girl sketching all looked over at him.

“Thanks. I really appreciate it, Katsuo-san!” Gon smiled kindly, handing the emptied cup back to the deckhand.

“I-It’s no problem, really!”

“Ehh, you’re too nice, Gon.” The girl remarked, shifting so her book was propped up on her knees.

So his name _was_ Gon. The Captain wasn’t surprised that the two children knew each other – after all, they were the only two around the same age. They probably felt a little more secure knowing they weren’t going in alone as a kid compared to the other contestants.

Gon rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “You think so? Haha…”

After it was announced an even bigger storm would hit in a couple hours, most of the other applicants jumped ship to lifeboats, eagerly rowing to the nearest port. Then it was just the kids, the blond, and the tall guy.

“Finally, you’re the last four? Come with me.”

* * *

 

Nyx had been aware the Captain was checking in to see who wasn’t sick after the wild ride he put them through. Well, to her it was mild, but that was beside the point.

She crossed her arms, eyebrows furrowing in contemplation. _‘Evidently, we were the few who demonstrated any resilience, unlike those other wimps. But if he’s taking us to the Exam site, he’s probably doing it on purpose to weed out who isn’t worth taking. Which means we are and the exam’s already started, but what comes next? A test?’_

“Nyx-chan?” she heard Gon call.

The brunette looked up to see him gazing at her curiously as they walked. “Oh, sorry. Did you say something?”

“I asked what you think he called us for.”

“Probably to put us through some kind of test or something. We were the only ones who weren’t affected by his sailing in this storm.”

Gon’s eyes widened. “Huh? You think? But we’re not even at the exam site yet.”

She shrugged, stuffing her hands into her shorts pockets as her blue sneakers stepped across the floorboards without a sound.

“How do you do that?”

“How do I do what?”

“Walk so quietly. You’re the quietest walker I’ve ever heard! Or, well, not heard.” Gon exclaimed, a desire to learn burning in his eyes.

She quickly glanced at Blondie and Leonardo, who were hiding their intrigue with varying levels of success.

“Uh… I grew up learning how. It’s kinda required in my family.”

“Required?”

“Yeah… I’m not from a normal family. Let’s just put it that way.”

He seemed to notice her reluctance to speak of the subject and nodded, leaving it alone. She sighed in relief.

_‘Well, now I know he’s not stupid or blind to social cues.’_

“By the way, it’s weird to hear you use my full name.”

“Then what should I call you?”

“Ny is fine.”

Gon smiled widely. “Okay! Ny-chan it is, then!”

Once they were inside the helm, the door shut and Katsuo stood beside the Captain ready to take notes.

He asked for their names first, where Nyx finally remembered Blondie’s name – Kurapika – and the taller guy’s name: Leorio.

She introduced herself by her full first name. Gon was only an exception because she liked him. The others had yet to impress her.

The next question was the purpose for them taking the Exam. Leorio whined about it, which she was sure wasn’t going to help him reach the site.

 “My dad is a Hunter,” Gon began excitedly, catching the intrigue of the Captain and Nyx, “I left Whale Island because I want to know why my dad desired to be a Hunter so much!”

“Well, I’m taking it since I can go wherever I want if I get the license. Freedom, I guess? But I also don’t want my future limited…” Nyx answered, albeit seriously.

“Hey, kids!” Leorio snapped, causing Gon to lose his smile and for Nyx to have to look up to meet his eyes.

The taller man peered down at them. Nyx was annoyed at the apparent height difference.

“You’re not supposed to answer his question!”

“Why can’t I tell him why I’m here?” Gon frowned, genuinely confused.

Nyx didn’t see much of a problem, either. “Yeah. It’s not like he’ll judge us for it or anything. People take the exam for tons of reasons.”

Leorio and Kurapika made it quite obvious they were resistant to revealing their reasons for taking it. And Blondie made it known he didn’t respect the older man by simply referring to him by his name, absent of an honorific.

_‘Heh. This is getting interesting.’_

“What? Hey! Aren’t you younger than I am? Show some respect!”

Kurapika simply ignored him. “It’s quite simple to avoid pesky questions by offering a plausible lie.”

“Hey! Are you listening to me?!”

“I don’t think he is,” Nyx whispered to Leorio, who didn’t appreciate her commentary.

“I figured that, kid!”

“Then why’d you ask him?”

“I-” Leorio tried to come up with an answer that wasn’t rude to the deceivingly sweet, innocent little girl. “Never mind!”

Kurapika continued to explain why he couldn’t give an answer while ignoring Leorio’s continued attempts at starting a verbal spat stemming from his annoyance at the ‘lack of respect’ he was being given.

And then she was proven right the Exam already started when the Captain told Katsuo to inform the board he had two more dropouts.

That automatically caused Kurapika’s and Leorio’s little spat to disappear, their eyes widening.

 _‘Hmph. What’ll they do now? I knew this Captain was part of the exam. That’s why you shouldn’t be so scared to share.’_ Nyx smirked, feeling proud of her moment of greater insight.

The duo was stunned as the Captain went on to explain that people like him were hired to weed out those unfit to continue to the exam site. Nyx hid a laugh behind her hand. Wow, did they really think it’d be that easy? There’d been so many clues to put it together.

_‘I totally called it.’_

“Hey, you called it, Ny-chan!” Gon declared boisterously.

Nyx face-palmed, feeling eyes on her. “Gon…”

“Yeah?”

“This isn’t the right time for that…”

“Oh!” the boy looked from her to the Captain, then bowed, “I’m sorry! Please continue.”

Nyx couldn’t help smiling at his manners as the Captain coughed into his hand. “As I was saying, if they couldn’t handle a little storm, they’d stand no chance in the Hunter Examination’s later stages. In other words, you only proceed to the main exam if I pass you. So think carefully before you answer my question.”

Gon gazed up at Leorio. “So he says…”

Nyx followed his lead. “Yeah. Guess we were right after all.”

 _‘Told you so, you irritable tree!’_ she thought triumphantly.

Leorio made a little growl when he realized what they were getting at. “Should have told us sooner.”

“I am the last survivor of the Kurta clan.”

Kurapika’s sudden statement made the trio stop almost-bickering. The Kurta Clan? Where had she heard that before…?

“Four years ago, my clan was annihilated by a band of criminals. I wish to become a Hunter and hunt down that band, the Phantom Troupe.”

Nyx could’ve sworn her heart stopped for a second. It’d been a few years since she’d heard the name. No wonder the clan sounded familiar. Her fingers went cold. Memories flooded back into her mind. Her sister, blinded by hatred and pain. A broken, bloodied body. Regret. Devastation. Promises.

She didn’t hear what the Captain said to Kurapika, but what the blond said next gripped her in terrifying recollection.

“I do not fear death. I fear only that my rage will never leave.”

 _‘You think I fear death? The only thing I fear is letting go of this anger! I_ will _avenge him! I swear it! The Phantom Troupe will pay for this!’_

Even though it sounded the blond wished to quell the anger in his heart by avenging his clan, his words were close enough to remind her of the past.

“So, in other words, you want revenge. Does that require that you become a Hunter?” Leorio asked, irking Nyx and her shortening temper.

“Are you stupid?!” she snapped, whipping around to face him. “A Hunter’s License gives you access to restricted information, Hunter locations, and actions otherwise illegal or impossible! With it, the Phantom Troupe is easier to follow and pin down, as well as to gain more info on them. It’s invaluable for hunting someone down! Right?”

_‘Especially ‘cause of my stupid sister. These two are seriously perfect for each other.’_

She swiveled her head to Kurapika, who started a little at her intensity. “Yes... that’s right. There are more reasons than Leorio’s brain could possibly handle.”

“That’s Leorio-san to you!”

Leorio, though initially taken aback by Nyx’s outburst, looked like he was about to explode. Before he could act on it, Gon was in his face.

“Hey! Why do you want to become a Hunter, Leorio-san?”

Instantly, the taller man was collected once again. “Me? I’ll make it short. I want money.”

Gon’s expectant grin died immediately.

“Money can get you everything! A big house! A nice car! Good liquor!” Leorio listed off gleefully.

Nyx eyed him dully, leaning in to whisper to Gon, “Not much better than revenge, right?”

He nodded. “I was kinda expecting something more… meaningful.”

“Yeah, well… he doesn’t look the type to pour his heart out.”

“True.”

From there, Kurapika continued to piss off Leorio with his lack of the proper honorific, which the taller man escalated by saying he’d end his filthy bloodline and to take it outside. Since he refused to take it back, Blondie followed him out the door.

And with that, the two boys – they were no longer considered men to her after their squabbles – left the room.

The Captain tried to call them back to no avail. Gon, on the other hand, said they should go ahead and fight.

Even Nyx looked at him funny. “You want one of them to die?”

He shook his head, appearing oddly knowledgeable and serious. “They won’t kill each other. Mito-san once told me… ‘If you want to get to know someone, you need to make an effort to learn why they’re angry.’ It’s important for them to understand why they’re mad. So we should let them settle it themselves.”

This ‘Mito-san’ Gon spoke of sounded wonderful. She sounded a little like-no. Nyx shook her head, freeing her mind of that nosedive her thoughts were taking. She wouldn’t think of her. Especially not her.

“Who’s Mito-san?”

He grinned proudly at her. “Aunt Mito. She raised me.”

Oh… so when he said he wanted to know why his father became a Hunter…

“Captain!”

Before she could ponder on it any longer, the sailor at the helm pointed to a dangerously close water spout. Katsuo told the Captain if they hit it, the ship would sink. Which was obvious. The Captain ordered them to lower the sails, which Gon, of course, decided to help with.

“I guess I can lend a hand, too,” Nyx added, earning bewildered looks from the crew. “What?”

“Ah, no… I guess I just didn’t think you’d be the type to do that.” Katsuo admitted.

She frowned. “Why? Because I’m a girl?”

“N-No! Anyways, we need to hurry! Come with me, you two!”

Tons of sailors were already on the deck, trying to haul in the ropes for the sails.

 _‘This is gonna be a piece of cake.’_ Nyx smirked, sighting Gon helping with one of them.

With ease, she pulled in the ropes for one of the sails, tying it like the Captain showed her.

On the other side of the ship, Kurapika and Leorio were preparing to throw down despite the pelting rain and violent winds. Did they even notice the water spout? Geez, she’d never understood boys and their weird rivalries and fights.

A wave crashed onto the deck, drenching Nyx and some unlucky sailors but she remained unfazed.

“Well this sucks…” she muttered, wiping her floppy wet bangs out of her face.

The waterspout got unbelievably close to the ship, the whipping winds throwing some sailors off their feet. Nyx and Gon were fine, however. She decided to head over to help Gon with his sail, easily pulling it in and tying the knot.

“There!” she smiled, earning a grin from the boy.

“Thanks, Ny-chan!”

At that moment, the sail Katsuo was struggling to lower threw the poor young man overboard.

“Katsuo-san!” Gon yelled as Nyx watched with wide eyes.

Leorio and Kurapika darted forward to grab him, nearly falling overboard with him if they hadn’t grabbed on to the edge, along with Nyx’s nearly invisible wires wrapped around their arms to anchor them.

She saw a blur of green and gasped. “Gon, what’re you doing?!”

The boy leaped overboard with arms outstretched to catch Katsuo, while Leorio and Kurapika grabbed Gon’s ankles. While Nyx was sure they were strong in their own right, she tightened her hold on the wires tying them down. It’d be pathetic if their lives ended like this.

Leorio and Kurapika pulled the two out of the water while Nyx reeled them all in, almost literally.

Nyx wound her wires back up into the hidden little gauntlets under her loose jacket sleeves, avoiding eye contact with Kurapika, who noticed her actions. She hastily went over to Katsuo, who had yet to move. She checked for a pulse and found none.

“Dammit…” she cursed, recalling CPR and using compressions, counting them out loud for good measure. “Leorio-san am I doing this right?”

“Y-yeah, just keep up the compressions and if he doesn’t start breathing, start using mouth to mouth.”

She usually wouldn’t go this far for someone she didn’t care about. Not that Katsuo did anything to make her hate him; she just didn’t care about him. Maybe Gon was affecting her. Yes, that had to be it.

After more compressions and a couple of mouth-to-mouth, Katsuo finally jumped back to life, turning to the side to spew out the seawater he’d swallowed. Nyx sighed in relief, patting his back to help him vomit the rest.

“About time you started breathing again.”

The sailors who rushed over thanked her and Gon profusely, carrying him away. Gon gripped his nose, wincing.

“Ow, I banged my nose.”

She, Kurapika, and Leorio were quick to get in his face about his recklessness.

“Are you crazy or what?! The ocean is wild, the currents are extremely strong, and you… you… well, it’s really dangerous!”

Nyx had no idea the blond could stumble over his words as he just did, but then again, he did seem flustered.

“If we hadn’t caught your feet, it’d have been over for you for sure! You’d have drowned for sure!”

“You idiot!” Nyx yelled, punching Gon on the head angrily and grabbing him by his collar, “You could’ve died! What the hell were you thinking?!”

“Yes, maybe. But you did catch me.”

“Huh?”

Nyx stopped shaking his person as Kurapika and Leorio stared at him, caught off-guard.

“You both caught me!” Gon beamed, leaving Nyx speechless.

“Well, I guess so…” Leorio conceded, not sure what else to say.

Kurapika smiled at Nyx. “And Nyx caught us.”

She looked away, blushing at being noticed. “What? No, I didn’t. I didn’t do anything!”

“But you-”

“Gon! Nyx!” Katsuo beckoned, running over to them with the most grateful look Nyx had ever witnessed.

“Katsuo-san!” Gon greeted amicably.

“Are you okay now?” Nyx questioned.

He nodded. “Yes, thank you! You saved my life!”

Gon’s smile widened. “I couldn’t have done it alone. These three helped save you!”

Nyx, Kurapika, and Leorio were automatically singled out, all a little flustered at the praise.

“Thank you very much!” Katsuo bowed respectfully to them.

Kurapika somehow remained dignified even when he was being modest. “No, you don’t need to thank me.”

_‘Ugh. He’s so refined and serious it’s gross. I know I’m usually serious, but his dramatics are on a whole other level.’_

Leorio, on the other hand, grew a smile and looked away. “Well… Yeah, I’m glad you’re okay!”

“I really didn’t do anything,” Nyx insisted, looking up at the older male with a frown.

“Nonsense. She helped anchor Leorio and me to the ship. She was quite fast and used an almost unnoticeable method, but she helped nonetheless. And she was the one to revive you,” Kurapika argued, causing the brunette in question to flush.

She stared at the floorboards while Katsuo thanked her again with a blush spreading across his face.

“Um, t-thank you for your help as well! So, now I’ll be returning to my station!”

Nyx frowned. “Why was he acting weird?”

“Well, you did basically just kiss him.”

The brunette snapped her head to Leorio, eyes wide and horrified. “No, I didn’t! That was just CPR! That doesn’t count! …right?”

“Technically, no. You’re good.”

Nyx sighed in relief. She didn’t wanna give her first kiss away to some deckhand she barely knew. Kurapika and Leorio made up afterward, with the blond apologizing first and using the proper honorific with Leorio’s name.

The tall man was thrown for a loop, deciding he didn’t like hearing his name with the honorific after all.

“Tch. Why’d you make it a big deal if you wanna just be called ‘Leorio’ then?” Nyx scowled, earning a glare from the man.

“Oi! Shut it, you!” he shook a fist, trying to be threatening despite the embarrassment blooming across his cheeks.

She huffed, crossing her arms, and turned to Gon.

Leorio reluctantly apologized too, which Kurapika forgave. Gon watched them happily, which Nyx didn’t understand. It was all gross and gushy. How was it fun to watch?

The Captain apparently was watching them and broke out laughing, deciding he liked all of them and he’d take them to the closest port to the exam site.

“Really?!” Gon exclaimed. Nyx swore he had the happiest disposition in the world. “What about your test?”

Nyx elbowed him. “Oi, if he forgot, let him forget!”

The Captain chuckled at her hushed words. “Like I said… It’s my decision to make. And all four of you pass!”

Gon jumped up and down with a reluctant Nyx, who smiled with him anyways as Kurapika and Leorio looked pleased.

“Yay!” Gon laughed.

Nyx found it contagious and laughed, too. “That’s one test down!”

“Eh? One?”

The brunette sent the clueless boy a pitied look. “Don’t tell me you thought it’d be that easy? Of course, there’ll be more tests! They’ve gotta weed out the weak people before they even reach the exam site!”

“Oh… well, we’ll pass those ones too!”

“Geez…” Nyx shook her head but kept her smile.

What an interesting bunch. Maybe at least Gon would become her very first friend.

The Captain offered to teach them more about the ship’s handling, to which they eagerly obliged.

Yeah. She was gonna pass the Hunter’s Exam, and have fun doing it. With her new friend.


	2. Meaning x of x Friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx's journey with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio to the Hunter Exam continues, while she reluctantly, and slowly, unveils her skillsets. Friendships and trust are foreign concepts to her, but with Gon's help, she'll figure it out eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the chapter summary sucks, I'm not used to writing those! So yeah, uhhh the pacing of this is a bit slow but hopefully still interesting! Please comment and give me any constructive criticism you want! I'd love feedback to see where I can improve!

**Disclaimer: I don’t own Hunter x Hunter!**

* * *

3 days later, Nyx found herself at Dolle Harbor with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio with her hood shadowing her face. She stretched, happy to finally be off the damned ship.  
 ****

“Ahh! Finally!”

Gon laughed at her antics. She smiled back.

It was a busy port; not much different from being on the ship aside from her slight sea legs. Sweaty, smelly seamen, crates of cargo getting transported, and rancorous voices blended together. She was glad she’d brought so much food, else she’d be wasting her money on the food inside one of the joints at the harbor.

She stuck with Gon as a rule. After all, he was the one she was trying to befriend. Keyword: trying. Nyx hadn’t been able to ask straight out if he wanted to be friends or not. It was nerve-wracking, and while she was confident most things she could shake off, another friend rejection might be the end of her.

Gon thanked the Captain, saying he had a great time.

Deciding to go along with it, Nyx bowed in respect since Gon was shaking his hand. “Yeah, thanks. The storm part was the best.”

The Captain laughed. “I had fun, too. Right! As a token of my appreciation, I’ll give you some advice.”

Nyx frowned.

“Advice?” Gon repeated.

“Look. See that big cedar tree on the hilltop?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You should make your way there first. It’s a shortcut to the exam site.”

“A shortcut? Got it! So, we just need to head for that tree! We’ll do that, Captain! Thanks!” the boy in green repeated excitedly, unaware of the other contestant eavesdropping.

Nyx, however, did. She didn’t care though. One way or another, he wouldn’t make it. Her gut and mind agreed with the conclusion, so she pretended to ignore him.

“Ah, yes. Thanks for the info,” Nyx added, throwing in another short bow.

“Best of luck!” The Captain winked.

Gon started to run off, with the brunette right beside him. “Yep! Same to you! Take care!”

He glanced over at Nyx. “C’mon, Ny-chan!”

She smiled, nodding. “Yeah! Hey, I’ll race you!”

Off she ran, leaving Gon in the dust, laughing.

“Hey! No fair!” he called, quickly catching up to her.

They laughed together while racing each other over to where Kurapika and Leorio were.

“Hey, did you notice the dude eavesdropping on us?”

Gon met her eyes with innocence. “Yeah. What about him?”

“Shouldn’t we do something? He’s bound to get in the way.”

The boy grinned at her. “Don’t worry, Ny-chan! I’m sure he won’t be much trouble!”

_ ‘Doubt it.’ _

“There’s Leorio and Kurapika!” Gon pointed, trying to subtly speed up as well.

“Oh, no you don’t! I’m gonna win!” Nyx retorted, matching and just barely beating him to the other two of their group.

“Yes! I won!” she cheered triumphantly, much to the confusion of Kurapika and Leorio.

Gon pouted. “No way! I won!”

“I definitely won. I was faster!” the brunette argued before they both turned to the blond male for confirmation.

“Blondie, who was faster? It was me, right?” Nyx asked, her intensity causing him to pause and regard her with slight annoyance at the nickname.

“Firstly, my name is Kurapika. And yes, you were marginally faster.”

Gon groaned in disappointment while Nyx cheered, celebrating her victory. She meandered over to Leorio to gaze up at him, lightly tugging the edge of his suit jacket.

He looked down at her with a combination of caution and puzzlement. “Huh? What do you want, kid?”

“My name is Nyx.”

“All right, fine. What do you want, kid?”

Nyx rolled her eyes. “Do you have any water? I ran out.”

The taller man sighed, reaching into his briefcase to pull out a large water bottle. “You should’ve refilled before we docked!”

She stuck out her tongue, accepting the water. “I forgot, okay? And that race made me thirsty.”

After she drank her fill, she handed it back. The water was refreshing after that little game, the cool liquid getting rid of the dryness in her throat.

“Thanks!”

He grumbled, putting it away. Then he did the unexpected and patted her on the head, messing up her layered bangs. “Yeah, sure. Don’t want you passing out from dehydration or something. Just remember your own next time!”

Nyx continued to stare at him, mouth agape. One of her hands slowly raised to touch the place where he patted her. It hadn’t been an unpleasant feeling. In fact, it was quite nostalgic and fatherly.

She then decided Leorio wasn’t that bad, after all.

The tall man frowned when he noticed she hadn’t moved. “What? Why’re you staring at me like that?”

Nyx snapped out of her daze, embarrassed by her reaction. “N-Nothing! You just surprised me…”

“Weird kid…”

“I’ll take that as a compliment!”

Leorio flushed a little, looking away and scratching the back of his head. “Do what you want! Tch!”

Gon proceeded to tell the other two about the shortcut the Captain gave. They stared at a map, where Leorio started to feel skeptical. He was inclined to follow the notice in his hand and was puzzled at where in Zaban City they were supposed to go. Kurapika reminded him it was just another one of the tests Nyx aforementioned.

His insert of her talk about the tests caused Nyx to frown, finding the map more interesting.

_ ‘Why does he keep pointing out stuff I do? It’s embarrassing. And makes me feel kinda guilty for treating him like I have. Damn you barely existing conscience.’ _

Leorio, feeling his intelligence was being questioned, was swift to overreact. “I-I knew that… I already knew that!”

“Sure you did,” Nyx teased, receiving a growl and a glare from him, to which she simply stuck out her tongue. “Gon and I will check it out if you’re so unsure. The Captain gave us the info for a reason. Right, Gon?”

“Yeah! I was about to say that, Ny! Glad we’re on the same page!” the green-clothed boy grinned.

She smiled back, and the duo started walking away.

“Hey, hey… You’re serious? The bus to Zaban is about to leave. We should just take it.” Leorio argued, but they continued walking anyway.

Gon waved without looking back. Nyx wasn’t as courteous, sticking her tongue out at him again.

“Hey! Stop doing that you little…”

The brunette snickered, then glanced at Gon, who appeared as cheerful as ever. “Hey, you really okay with going without them?”

“Don’t worry Ny-chan! They’ll join us eventually.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Gon beamed, pointing behind him. She followed to see Kurapika quickly catching up with them.

“Eh?! How’d you know?!”

The boy just laughed, smiling cheekily.

“Why you-wipe that cheeky look off your face!” she demanded with a slight smile back, pinching his cheeks as Kurapika started walking next to her.

“Ow ow! What’d I do?”

“Stop acting all mysterious and tell me! It doesn’t suit you!”

“Tell you what?” the blond inquired.

Nyx huffed, refusing to meet his eyes. “Nothing concerning you!”

“Actually, it kinda does…”

“I-You-shut up!” she blushed, embarrassed at her blunder.

Kurapika and Gon were amused at her reaction. When they heard shouting in the distance, the trio reluctantly slowed down to allow Leorio to catch up to them.

“Well, I knew you guys would be lonely without me. And it’s no fun traveling alone. So I decided to stick with you guys a while longer,”

“Oh, so in other words, the buses turned out to be a bust?” Nyx smirked, earning an earful of “shut up” and a list of excuses.

She was more irritated by the fact the guy from before was tailing them.

_ ‘Just ignore him. No need to take him out when he hasn’t done anything…yet.’ _

Her eyes kept going to Kurapika. She needed to clear some things up with him, else he’d keep mentioning her for praise and stuff.

“Hey Gon, Leorio, go on ahead for a minute.”

The two gazed at her oddly. Everyone, including Kurapika himself, knew she didn’t tend to get along with the blond. But after some questions she refused to answer, she managed to shoo them away to speak with the Kurta alone.

“Since you were so adamant on getting me alone, I assume you want to talk about something otherwise difficult to discuss?” Kurapika accurately guessed.

Nyx stared hard at him. “Why do you keep pointing out what I do? It’s nothing even noteworthy.”

He locked eyes with her, confusion pinching his stupidly perfect brows together. “I don’t know what you mean. All I did was put credit where it was due.”

“I’m not-I haven’t done anything deserving of credit. The things I’ve done so far are mediocre at best. Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“If you’re so insistent on not receiving praise for accomplishing things, then fine. But why is it such an issue for you?”

The brunette looked away, eyes downcast. “It’s… weird. And uncomfortable.”

“Then have the past few days been the first where you were recognized for your actions?"

“That’s none of your business. Anyway, just stop pointing me out for stuff. That’s all I wanted to say.”

Before Kurapika could speak his mind, she sped up to walk beside Gon again. He asked what she talked about, but she waved it off. While the boy in green was evidently curious, she appreciated that he respected her space and didn’t continue to pry.

Eventually, they came across a seemingly deserted town. Emphasis on ‘seemingly’. A few papers rustled by from the wind. A crow cawed. Not much to see. But much to sense. There were a lot of people hiding, for some reason. Nyx could sense them very clearly.

“This is a creepy place… I don’t see a single person.” Leorio remarked, his previous lighter demeanor absent.

“No, there are plenty here.” Gon disagreed, stopping in his tracks.

The taller man was shocked. “What?”

Nyx frowned. “Yeah, I just assumed everyone else knew.”

“How do you know all these things?!”

“Don’t you hear the sound of breathing from everywhere?” Kurapika inquired.

“And the sound of cloth scraping, too. They’re trying to hide.” Nyx added.

Leorio, unable to notice what they did, reluctantly admitted he was just a normal guy.

A gate slowly opened to reveal an old woman getting pulled on a wide, wheeled wooden platform by two people.

Others stood flanking her on the platform while others stood vigilant at the sides. They all wore plain white robes and creepy masks. Nyx didn’t like it, but she figured this was their next test.

“Wh-What’s with the freak show?” the tall man muttered.

Nyx shrugged. “Dunno, but this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve seen.”

He eyed her incredulously. She smiled and winked, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

“Exciting…” the old woman murmured.

Leorio parroted her for a couple minutes as she kept repeating it.

“Exciting two-choice quiz!”

“Huh?” Nyx gaped, staring in disbelief at the old woman and her followers, who started playing some weird tune with the instruments in their hands.

Glancing around, she noticed she wasn’t the only one looking funny. Gon was smiling but in a way that screamed ‘huh? What just happened?’, Kurapika looked utterly confused and taken off-guard, and Leorio’s face was the most priceless of all. She couldn’t even describe it properly.

“You four are headed for that tree on the hill, correct?” the old lady presumed, her withered hands laced together and perched on top of the desk portion of the platform, “To reach that tree, you must pass through this town.”

Nyx wasn’t surprised. She was frustrated, however, the guy stalking them was definitely going to pop up and ruin things for them. Damn Gon and his infectious optimism! She needed to keep her guard up.

The test was a single-question quiz, which of course Leorio protested the fairness of. Even better, they only had five seconds to state an answer; if they gave the wrong one, it was an automatic disqualification.

Kurapika smiled in understanding, prompting Nyx to roll her eyes. “I see… Then this is part of the Hunter Exam.”

“Duh. Took you long enough,” the brunette jabbed, smirking at how he bristled a little.

“I see how it is. I happen to be a quiz expert. Wait. Only one question?”

“Why is it you’re always thrown off by the tests in the exam, Leorio? Of course, it’ll be different from what you expect. How else will they thin out the crowd? Hunters aren’t ordinary people, y’know.”

“Kid, I really don’t need your lip right now.”

“But I’m genuinely confused.”

“Argh, I don’t know, okay?! This is my first time taking the Exam! I don’t know what to expect!” Leorio snapped, his voice at shouting level in Nyx’s face.

She remained unfazed, staring at him contemplatively. “Ohhh, I see. Well, from here on out, just don’t think anything will be normal.”

“…I really wonder what kind of life you’ve been living to think that way naturally,” the taller man sighed, shaking his head.

Their answers, the old lady explained, were either 1 or 2.

_ ‘Huh. So if I don’t like either of the answers, then what? Not speak?’ _

“Hold on!” Leorio called, “All three of us share one question? So if one of them answers incorrectly, I’m disqualified, too?”

Kurapika crossed his arms, clearly offended. “As if that would happen! What scares me is the high likelihood of the vice versa happening.”

“What was that?”

Naturally, Gon was the one to break the building tension. “But you know… This way’s easier since only one of us needs to know the answer. I’m not good at quizzes.”

“Yeah, I agree with Gon. On one hand, if you had a bunch of stupid people together, it’d toss out those not qualified. But we have a pretty good chance of winning the quiz,” Nyx added, kicking a little rock with her sneaker.

“I suppose…”

“Fair point.”

“Hey, there. Hurry it up. Or else I’ll answer the question first.”

Ugh. Great. The guy looked even stupider and uglier than the glimpse she caught back at the docks.

Leorio was the first to speak. “Who are you?”

“He followed us here, all the way from the port.” Gon answered.

Nyx nodded in confirmation.

The taller man was taken aback, as he was with most things thus far. “Huh? Seriously?”

“Sorry, kids. I happened to overhear your conversation.”

“You don’t sound really sorry,” the brunette girl scowled, glaring daggers.

He sent her a filthy look back.

“What will you do?” the old lady – Nyx decided to dub her “Quizzing Lady” – inquired.

“He seems eager to take it. We should let him go first. That way, we’ll know what kind of question to expect.” Leorio suggested.

Nyx was a bit surprised to find she didn’t disagree with him. And here she was thinking he didn’t have any good ideas to contribute.

“I don’t mind,” Gon smiled.

“I have no objection.”

“Whatever. Just hurry it up,” The brunette girl huffed, half-tempted to trip the dude when he walked past them.

“Then I’ll get to it.” The dude said, approaching a podium one of the masked people put up.

Quizzing Lady got right down to business. The question was which would he save if he had to choose between his mother and lover, with no possible way of saving both from the villains. 1 for mom, 2 for lover.

“H-How is this even a quiz?”

Nyx agreed with Leorio, but this  _ was _ the Hunter Exam. The question had to reflect on choices they’d have to make in that line of work, and since it was typically dangerous, it made sense to her.

The idiot’s reasoning for choosing 1 is that you could replace your girlfriend, but you only have one mother. Clearly, he didn’t have a valuable relationship with anyone of the female gender. That, and he was straight out sexist.

“Wow. Maybe that’s why you don’t have a girlfriend in the first place. You know, aside from the fact that you’re ugly.”

Leorio and even Kurapika were amused by her remark. Gon smiled nervously. The guy glared at her, a retort ready on his tongue.

“You may pass.” Quizzing Lady suddenly announced, causing the creep to forget his ire.

The taller man was taken aback. Nyx narrowed her eyes.

_ ‘There’s probably an unsafe way of passage that she just granted him. He’ll probably die. It can’t be this easy.’ _

“You just have to tell the old lady what she wants to hear. Adios.”

“Finally! You’re so gross-looking I was about to vomit!”

Everyone gaped at Nyx while she smirked. The guy glanced back and glared at her, about to say something again, when she decided to also flip him off.

“What? Got something to say, Pig-Face?”

He growled, continuing to walk in a huff. “I’m not so immature to start a fight with a little girl! Later.”

The brunette sighed in satisfaction, lacing her fingers behind her head. “Ahh, that was nice. It would’ve been better if he actually tried to fight me.”

She heard him scream in the distance. Likely, the path he walked was filled with monsters that devoured him.

Leorio, on the other hand, was so riled up about the unfairness of the test he started ranting again, then tried to find a different route. Of course, Quizzing Lady called out it was too late and if he tried to find a different way, he’d be disqualified.

While he vented, Nyx realized something: how was anyone supposed to know what Quizzing Lady wanted to hear?

There was no guarantee she even had kids if she agreed with the option to spare the mother.

Which meant…

_ ‘Silence has to be the right move! The answers are too variable from person-to-person, meaning silence is the right answer!’ _

When the taller man basically just yelled what she’d thought, she noticed Kurapika realized it too. She nodded at him, confirming she was on the same page.

They tried to tell him the proper response, but Quizzing Lady forbade it. If they said anything but the answer, they’d get disqualified.

She gave them a similar scenario but with their son and daughter instead. While she counted down, a pissed-off Leorio decided it’d be a good idea to grab a nearby stick and practice swinging it.

Nyx knew it was only for one reason: to attack Quizzing Lady when time was up, because he didn’t have an answer. Which was good – well, not saying anything – since it was the proper answer. The attacking part she could handle. She wouldn’t let his stupid actions keep her from reaching the exam site.

And, just as she thought, once Quizzing Lady declared time was up, Leorio jumped into action: literally.

Whipping out her hooked wires, the brunette quickly wrapped them around his ankles, yanking him away from the lady. Instead of hitting her, he face-planted into the ground. Leorio pushed himself up after a moment, spitting out dirt. He glared back at Nyx.

She had to admit, it was pretty hilarious. She and Gon were trying to hold in their laughter at how ridiculous he looked.

He fought against the wires wrapped tightly around his ankles, wildly swinging his block of wood.

“Don’t stop me, Nyx! Kurapika! I won’t be satisfied until I’ve taught this hag a lesson!”

“Calm down, Leorio!” Blondie yelled, trying to get the plank away from him.

“How am I supposed to calm down?!”

“You’re gonna waste our correct answer, stupid!” Nyx shouted, pulling on her wires to drag Leorio away from Kurapika.

Upon hearing her exclamation, the taller man glanced between her and Blondie with a dumbfounded expression.

“Huh? Correct response?”

“We gave the right answer. Silence was the correct response.” Kurapika elaborated.

Now Four-Eyes was just confused. “Silence? What do you mean…”

“You called it right before. ‘There’s no right answer’. The quiz didn’t have a “right” answer. But since we could only state 1 or 2 as the answer, it means we weren’t meant to respond at all. Silence was the only option left.” Nyx sighed, rolling her eyes.

She freed the flailing Leorio from her wires with a flick of her wrists.

He stood up, pointing to where Sleazy Guy went. “But what about the other guy?”

Kurapika crossed his arms. “He was told to go, but… nobody told him that he answered correctly. I heard him shouting a while ago… unfortunately, he must have been devoured by some kind of monster… in fact, this road isn’t the good one.”

_ ‘Man, I knew that way before him! I should’ve just explained everything instead of letting him talk.”  _ Nyx thought begrudgingly, shoving her hands into her pockets.

Quizzing Lady smiled and confirmed it, standing up to lead them to a set of doors on the side. She said that it led directly to the tree, even though it’d take about two hours of walking to reach the top. They would need to speak to the Navigators, who were a couple in a cabin under the tree. If they met their standards, they’d be guided to the exam site.

To Nyx’s surprise, Leorio dropped his plank of wood and apologized to Quizzing Lady with a bow. Apparently, he did have some manners, after all. The lady even said she didn’t mind; she did the job because she loved meeting people like him. She gave him lots of praise and luck to become a good Hunter.

She edged a smile. Despite his reckless, stupid actions he did sometimes, she liked Leorio.

A loud sigh from Gon caught their attention. The boy plopped down onto the ground, saying he couldn’t think of an answer. Nyx frowned.

Leorio and Kurapika were amused at first, wondering why he was still trying to find an answer. Gon knew the quiz was over, but when Nyx heard his reason for attempting to discover the proper solution, her heart almost literally melted.

Geez, she was already going soft. This kid might do wonders for the rest of her family.

“I know that. But… But you know… What if I run into a situation like that and I can only save one person… What should I do then? It wouldn’t be right to choose just one… But one day, I might have to make that choice.”

That immediately sobered up Blondie and Four-Eyes, but Nyx smiled. She walked over to him, offering a hand.

“That’s easy, Gon.”

He looked up at her wide-eyed.

“You’ll just have a super awesome friend save the other one! Problem solved,”

Her response caused a massive, ear-splitting grin to appear on his face. Gon took her hand, letting her pull him to his feet. 

He nodded happily. “Yeah! Thanks, Ny!”

They say goodbye to the Quizzing Lady and walked through the open doors, down the dark corridor. Nyx didn’t like it. It reminded her of bad times in her childhood. Times she’d rather not relive. Her heart constricted, a sign she was beginning to panic a little.

“… Hey, Gon?”

_ ‘It’s now or never, Ny. C’mon, you can do this. You’ve faced way worse than the chance of freaking rejection.’ _

“Hm?”

The brunette felt herself hesitate, mouth moving but initially unable to vocalize her question. “Are… are we friends?”

“I thought we already were. Are we not? Do you not wanna be friends with me?”

“No! No, it’s not that!” Nyx replied, waving her hands fervently. “I just… wasn’t sure. I’m not sure how this works.”

“Huh? What do you mean? Have you… never had a friend before?”

She shook her head, then realized Gon might not see it. “No. You’d be the first. Ever.”

Thanks to her training she watched him smile, soon grabbing her hand. She jumped a little, not used to the contact.

“Of course we’re friends! And what you said back there confirmed it. Right?”

She flushed. “I-I wasn’t talking about me!”

“But you would, right?”

“Well, yeah… of course. I mean, that’s part of what friends do, isn’t it? Have each other’s backs?”

“Yup! So don’t worry about it! I trust you and know you’ll have my back! And I’ll do the same!”

He started to pull his hand away when Nyx squeezed it, keeping it in hers. Gon was silent, patiently waiting for her to explain.

“Do you… do you mind staying like this? I don’t like this dark corridor. It’s… bringing up bad memories.”

Gon squeezed her hand back reassuringly. “Sure!”

The brunette smiled. His hand was warm and calloused, sort of like her brother’s. She felt safer than she’d been in a long time.


	3. Spot x the x Difference

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx, Gon, and Co. are on their way to the next step in reaching the exam site: the Navigators. How will Nyx be tested? And will she pass or be forced to return home after already coming such a long way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the third chapter! This doesn't have a lot of action in it but that's coming up in a bit. Please leave reviews with any constructive criticism you have!

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H x H! I wish I did, so there’d be another season of the anime…**

* * *

 They finally emerged from the tunnel hours later. Nyx released her hand from Gon’s, sending him a grateful look. He smiled back with a small nod.

She glanced around their surroundings while they walked. It was dark out, and they’d entered a forest. Guessing how long they’d been walking, the cabin shouldn’t be too far.

“It’s totally dark out… ‘Walk two hours,’ she said? It was two hours, two hours ago! Damn.”

Naturally, Leorio was complaining.

They came across yet another “Beware of Magical Beasts” sign, which Nyx was sure alluded to the resident Kirikos in the area.

Leorio made sure to complain more when he noticed the sign, too. Then about how he was hungry, needed to take a dump, and so on. Thankfully, Nyx spotted the cabin not far from their current spot. She approximated perhaps ten or so more minutes of walking.

“Hey, I see the cabin,” she pointed at their destination to Kurapika and Gon, who both appeared relieved. Leorio even more so.

“Ah, good job Nyx. I see it as well.”

She frowned. “I prefer Ny. Using my full name is… weird. Or do you wanna keep being called Blondie?”

The Kurta made a face. “Very well, Ny it is.”

“Great job, Ny-chan!” Gon cheered, giving her a fist bump.

The brunette edged a smile, rubbing the back of her neck. “Thanks. It’s nothing, though.”

So they walked up to the front door of the cabin. Leorio, being the tallest and with the deepest voice (so people took them more seriously), knocked. Nyx glanced around the house.

It was pretty nice and big. Could use some personal touches in her opinion, though.

When they heard no response after Leorio called out, Gon voiced perhaps they were out. Which didn’t make sense to her, considering their roles as Navigators was important. They wouldn’t just leave their house when they knew it was time for the Exam.

Leorio twisted the knob to find it unlocked, entering while politely calling out their presence. Nyx was as taken aback as the other three when they were greeted with the sight of what she assumed was a Kiriko holding a young woman hostage, her fallen lover behind her. It looked like he’d resisted quite valiantly since the place was a mess: broken furniture, claw marks on the floor.

It cackled, turning to them with glowing red eyes. The brunette felt a small chill tickle her skin.

_‘Yeesh. So this is a Kiriko, huh? Not only are they super smart, but can also shapeshift into humans. If that’s the case, there’s gotta be something up with this scenario.’_

“It’s a Magical Beast!” Leorio exclaimed, shocked.

Nyx, Kurapika, and Gon were all ready to fight. She was curious to see how Gon would use his fishing rod.

“It’s a magical transforming beast called a Kiriko. They can take human form and are extremely intelligent.” the brunette explained, beating Kurapika to the punch.

“There’s a woman in his arms!” Gon gasped.

“And the guy on the floor needs medical attention…” the taller man muttered.

The Kiriko leaped out a window, shattering the glass with ease to leap into the night. The guy on the floor begged them to save his wife, but she wasn’t buying it. Something smelled fishy, and she trusted her instincts more than anything. Leorio, bless his heart, was already beside him pulling out supplies from his briefcase.

Kurapika and Gon readied to pursue the Kiriko, but Nyx didn’t budge. Her new friend in green considered her with bemusement.

“Ny-chan? Aren’t you coming?”

She waved a hand dismissively. “Nah. You guys got it covered. I probably won’t be able to do anything you can’t. I’ll just help here. Assist, I guess.”

“Well then, we’ll leave the injured man to you, Leorio! Ny!” Kurapika called, tossed his shoulder bag to the floor, and leaped out the window in pursuit.

“Leave it to me!” the taller man called back.

Gon nodded at Nyx, who returned it with an easy smile, before jumping out the window.

Nyx further studied the interior. If the Kiriko was intent on attacking this couple, it would’ve broken down the doors or already broken through the window. Which it hadn’t. And considering how recent it seemed to have intruded, it couldn’t have been another applicant or a Kiriko disguised as an applicant, or else Nyx and the others would’ve noticed.

Additionally, the mess was a little too contained for a kidnapping and, as she further explored the house, there was no kitchen. No place to store food of any kind. Which meant…

“Oi, kid! Are you gonna help or what?” Leorio snapped, tending to his patient attentively. “Don’t worry sir, everything will be fine. My friends are pretty strong and dependable, and I’ll get you patched up right away. Your wife is going to be back safe and sound, y’hear me? She’s going to be fine.”

“T-Thank you…”

She sauntered back over, staring at the fallen man coldly. “How about you stop pretending? I know what you really are.”

Leorio stared at her, beyond confused. “Kid, what’re you talking about?”

“Y-Yes, what are you talking about?” the man stuttered.

She wasn’t buying it. “I know you’re actually a Kiriko, so you can drop the act. I don’t want Leorio wasting his medicine if you aren’t seriously injured.”

The taller man gazed at her, slack-jawed. The man stilled for a moment, then chuckled. There were various pops and crackles as his body changed shape, growing the same light orange and brown fur the other Kiriko possessed. He stood to tower over Leorio, red eyes gleaming.

“How’d you know, little girl?”

Nyx shrugged. “Just looked around. There were no signs of forced entry, and given how recent the situation is, we would’ve noticed if another applicant was heading to this cabin in case the Kiriko was posing as an applicant. The mess here is a little too contained. Plus, there’s no kitchen anywhere and nowhere to store food, meaning you hunt for it in a way different than humans. It was pretty easy to piece together.”

The Kiriko laughed again, nodding in confirmation. “I’m impressed! You are very observant.”

Its eyes shifted from Nyx to a gaping Leorio, who grabbed her by the arm.

“Hey! What’re you doing?” she exclaimed, fighting his grip with ease.

“Huh? What do you mean?! We’re in danger right now, aren’t we?!”

“Doubt it.”

His grip slackened, giving her the opportunity to wrench her arm out of his much larger hand. “Huh? What’re you talking about?”

“Obviously it means us no harm. If it wanted to hurt us, it would’ve transformed and attacked the moment Gon and Kurapika took off. Meaning that this isn’t an aggressive, bloodthirsty beast: it’s intelligent and testing us.”

Leorio still didn’t get it. Nyx rolled her eyes, turning to the Kiriko.

“Would you mind helping me out, here?”

The Kiriko laughed, reverting to its human form. “Of course. The rest of my family will explain the situation once they return with your friends, but I see no harm in telling him: I am one of the Navigators. My family and I test the applicants that make it here to see who is worthy of continuing to the exam site.”

Nyx turned to the taller man, feeling smug. “See?”

He stuttered, utterly confused.

She happily grabbed one of his floppy long arms and high-fived it. “We did it, Leorio! Now, all we have to do is wait for Gon and Kurapika, right?”

The Kiriko nodded. “Yes. The Kiriko they pursued is my father. My mother and sister are also out to trick them! We will wait until they return to inform you if you pass or not, but I must say your skills of deduction and reasoning are impressive for someone your age. What’s your name?”

“I’m Nyx.” The brunette replied, grinning.

_‘I did it! There’s no way I didn’t pass this! And I did it all on my own! Damn, it feels great to get some praise. I could revel in this forever!’_ she thought ecstatically.

“I’m Leorio, but you already know that by now.” The taller man answered, scratching the back of his head.

Perhaps the situation was too sudden and big for him to grasp.

They waited outside, making small talk. She hated small talk. Oh, well. Nothing better to do, anyway. The air was cool, nighttime settling in after the sun's sluggish descent. The full moon glowed radiantly in the navy-blue sky peppered with glittering stars. She had to admit, the view was nice. The view back home was better in her opinion. Still nice, though.

About twenty minutes later, the three other Kirikos, with the daughter transformed, returned with Kurapika and Gon, who also passed. Two of the Kirikos were laughing their asses off. Somehow, she had a feeling it involved Gon.

Nyx smiled, walking out to greet them with the other Kiriko reverted to his human form and Leorio. Her hands were shoved into her jacket pockets while she faced a grinning Gon.

“Hey, so you two are back.”

“Ny-chan!”

“Yo.”

“Ny-chan! Guess what, guess what!”

“Hmmm… the Kirikos decided you were too hilariously gamey to eat?”

Gon pouted, his cheeks puffing up in exasperation. “What? No! I managed to hit the Kiriko Kurapika and I were chasing, and then a new one tried to trick me! I knew it was different though, and apparently, they’re married! This family of Kirikos are the Navigators and were testing us! I dunno if we’ve passed yet, though.”

“Ohh, you can tell them apart? …How the hell do you do that?”

Looking at the two Kirikos who were married (with one of them laughing his(?) ass off), she couldn’t really see a difference.

“Hmm… How many years has it been since someone was able to tell us apart? I’m ecstatic!” one of the Kirikos remarked.

Nyx glanced at Leorio, who leaned over to ask Kurapika if he could tell their faces and voices apart, to which he admitted not at all, with a flabbergasted expression. It was clear they were befuddled by Gon’s weird ability to differentiate two seemingly identical creatures. Honestly, it was weird to her, too.

“Well you see, that one has a different face than the other! See how the structure is slightly narrower in that one? And that one’s voice is higher and thinner than the other’s!”

Nyx squinted, trying to spot the traits Gon was literally pointing out to her. She supposed the build of one of them was a bit lither than the other, now that she stepped back to gaze in a new perspective. He said the coloring was also slightly different, which she couldn’t see for the life of her even cross-eyed.

“…okay, I’m starting to see it a bit.”

Kurapika and Leorio stared at her in disbelief.

“Wait… seriously?” the taller man stuttered.

“Yeah, now that Gon’s pointed it out.”

The married Kirikos laughed again, enjoying the fact that not one, but almost two people in one day were able to tell them apart. They all assembled in front of the four youths, introducing themselves as the Navigators.

“Man, you had us fooled.” Leorio sighed.

“Except me and Gon,” Nyx interjected with a proud smirk.

The taller man grumbled. “Yeah, except you and Gon. Your case I can understand, but how he can tell these guys apart is beyond me.”

The… husband(?) of the Kiriko family explained that the site for the Hunter Exam changed annually, making it difficult to find without a guide. Thus, they aided the applicants in making it to the site.

“Oh, so that’s how it works.” Gon smiled, as happy and intrigued as ever.

Nyx wondered how he did it.

The daughter and son went on to explain they didn’t help every candidate, testing them to see if they’re qualified.

Kurapika apparently passed due to using the vaguest of hints to determine the son and daughter weren’t spouses, which was the tattoos on the daughter marking a woman as single for life. They were fake, of course, which she proved by rubbing some of it off, the black ink smearing across her wrist.

He demonstrated he was very knowledgeable and passed. Gon congratulated him, naturally. Nyx was surprised to watch the blond exchange a fist bump with him. She crossed her arms, still a bit embarrassed by her past behavior towards him but too prideful to do anything about it.

“G-Good… job…”

Kurapika’s head snapped to her, astonishment blowing his eyes wide for a second. He then smiled, nodding his head.

“Thanks.”

_‘Yeah, don’t get used to it, Blondie.’_

The son went on to explain how even though Leorio never realized his true identity, he dressed his wounds faster and more thoroughly than any doctor. More importantly, he kept reassuring him that his wife was safe. It was a bit embarrassing for him to have his friends hear such actions from him, a blush staining his cheeks.

Nyx would’ve elbowed him in his side had she been a foot taller, but settled for elbowing his hip instead. He blushed harder, knowing she was sending him a shit-eating grin.

Leorio’s kindness got him through to the Exam site. He was so relieved he sank to the ground, letting out a huge sigh. Gon and Nyx gave him fist bumps to congratulate him.

“Now for Nyx-chan,” the son began, causing her to stiffen and stare at him, “You, on the other hand, realized my identity after surveying the interior of the house. Not only did you conclude something was amiss by the fact there were no signs of intrusion, but also that we had to be inhuman due to the lack of a kitchen and food storage. The other little things you noticed, such as that the mess inside was a little too contained for resisting a Kiriko, was very impressive. You have demonstrated deep analytical and deduction skills in addition to a surprisingly high intelligence for your age. Thus, you pass.”

Kurapika and Leorio regarded her with pride, causing her to flush. Gon praised her and gave her a fist bump, which she gladly returned.

Gon’s superhuman physical ability and powers of observation made him worthy to take the Hunter Exam, passing him.

His face lit up brighter than the sun. Nyx felt an odd warmth stirring in her chest. She wondered what it was before realizing it was pride. She was extremely proud of Gon. It was a strange, new feeling, but one she didn’t mind.

“Great job, Gon!” she cheered, giving a fist bump then moving so Leorio could give him one, too. Kurapika joined in on it as well.

The Kirikos could apparently fly, which Nyx was apprehensive about. As they prepared to take them to the Exam site, Nyx jumped up to grab one of the Kiriko’s ankles. She was pretty sure it was the wife? Maybe?

Not the most comfortable position, but she’d been through worse. Her grip was iron.

Conveniently, her Kiriko flew beside Gon’s.

“Isn’t it great that we all passed?” he called with an elated grin.

“It’s too early to celebrate. We’ve merely earned the right to take the real exam.” Kurapika replied.

Nyx bit back an exasperated sigh. He was always ready to ruin the mood, wasn’t he?

“What’s wrong with celebrating a little? We’re making progress.” Leorio argued.

The brunette girl smiled. Yup, Leorio was definitely her favorite after Gon. “Yeah! You’ve gotta learn to relax sometimes, Blondie!”

_‘Seriously. My sister is enough of a stress machine; always thinking ahead and never taking a break to celebrate her victories. I don’t need you thrown into the mix on top of that,’_ she thought drearily.

“Honestly, you people really should think. “

“Hey! Why must you be such a smart-ass?”

“Stop squirming around!” Leorio’s Kiriko reprimanded, momentarily losing balance and freaking him out, “If you fall, blame yourself!”

Gon and Nyx laughed at the comedic sight, exchanging smiles.

“Hey, Gon?”

“Yeah?”

The brown-eyed girl sobered, staring him down. “I promise I won’t let you down.”

He looked confused. “I know you won’t. You don’t have to promise that.”

She was taken aback by the amount of trust he put in her. They’d only known each other for a total of four days, for goodness’ sake! It was odd to have someone trust her so completely. Nyx felt warmth bubbling in her chest, spreading throughout her body, a smile across her face.

Happy. She was happy.

Nyx nodded. “Okay. Hey, so… do you have any idea how the whole friendship thing works?”

Gon hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not sure since you’re my first friend. But… I think it’s about trusting each other, right? And protecting each other. Things like that!”

Nyx’s jaw dropped. She was his first friend? How?! This boy was the most amazing person she’d ever met in her life!

“How come I’m your first friend? I assumed you had a lot of friends.”

“Well, Whale Island doesn’t have a lot of residents. It’s basically just a popular port for people to stop at, so there aren’t a lot of other kids around.”

She frowned. “Really? Huh… well, what was it like? Growing up there? Weren’t you lonely?”

Gon shook his head, smile intact. “Nope! I mean, sometimes I really, really wished there were people my age for me to hang out with, but Mito-san and Gran were more than enough! Plus, it was really fun exploring and…”

He continued his stories of growing up on Whale Island. Nyx listened intently, eager to learn more about her first ever friend. She’d never wanted to hear so much about another person before.

_‘Thank you, Gon. Already my life is changing after meeting you. I don’t know why you decided to befriend me, or how you already trust me so much, but it means the world to me. And I can’t wait to see what else is in store for us.’_

She smiled, regarding the boy with gratitude. Yeah. Of all the choices she’d made in her life, befriending Gon had to be one of the best.


	4. Hood x of x Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mysterious girl is playing cross-dress for the Exam and seems to know what she's doing. Meanwhile, Nyx and Co. make it to Zaban City, where the Exam awaits them!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the pacing isn't too slow. Sorry if my updates aren't consistent; I've got a lot going on outside of writing. Please leave a review and give me feedback! I love constructive criticism and hearing from others!

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H x H! I wish I did though…so the anime could get more seasons…**

* * *

 

**Two Days Ago, at the Exam Site: January 5th**

Breathe in, breathe out. Everything was going to be fine. She just needed to focus on her goal, and she’d finally get what she wanted: her Hunter’s License, to start.

A teen girl sighed, stretching her arms behind her hooded head. Her cloak was a deep blue and had a unique pattern on the front and back, outlined in white. She brushed her mid-thigh length black shorts from under her cloak and checked her ankle-length boots for any scuff marks.

_ ‘Will my disguise be enough? No one can see my face, but maybe my figure will give it away… but I’m sure I wrapped it up enough…” _

Her green eyes swerved to the new examinees entering the tunnel. Finding info on the 287 th Hunter’s Exam was surprisingly easy. Then again, for her and those related to her, information was kind of their thing. It was boring, being the 8 th person to arrive. Maybe she shouldn’t have rushed it so much. Oh, well. Couldn’t take it back, now.

“Hey, there. You look new!” a voice called.

She frowned, facing a rotund man whose oozing innocence just screamed 'suspicious'. Only her mouth was visible, so no one had any idea what her expression was, but she didn’t seem that enthusiastic. She decided to fiddle with her black fingerless gloves.

“And?”

He seemed put off by her clipped tone, but she didn’t really care. She trusted no one.

“W-Well, it’s nice to see a new face around, is all! I’m Tonpa! And you are?”

“Hm.”

Instead of replying, she studied him closely. The fact he couldn’t see her calculating eyes roving over him caused Tonpa to sweat a little.

The girl smirked internally. He seemed too familiar with the exam. Which meant he either failed continuously and never gave up, or he didn’t care about passing. Leading her to conclude that he was likely a rookie crusher targeting his next victim.

“Call me Li,” she replied, deciding to mess with him.

That caused the brown-haired man to lighten up, though his smile turned a bit devious. “Nice to meet you, Li! I’m what you’d call a veteran regarding the exam, so if you ever need any help, just ask me! I’ve taken this exam 34 times, so I know a lot!”

“I see. Good to know.”’

“Well then, how about a little toast to our budding new friendship, hm?” he suggested, pulling out a couple cans of orange juice.

_ ‘Likely poisoned. Not that it matters to me.’ _

“Sure.” she edged a smile, accepting the drink.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught his impish smirk. She hid a smirk of her own, downing the whole can in a matter of seconds.

“Wow, that really hit the spot. Do you mind if I have another?”

A bit confused, Tonpa was quick to mask his puzzled expression with a forced smile. “O-Of course not! Here you go!”

Li downed it as quickly as the first, crushing the can in one hand and tossing it aside. “Ahh. It’s been a while since I’ve had juice. Oh, more people.”

The girl was relieved to put the attention off her as more people filled the space. Tonpa scouted the group for more prey and approached a white-haired boy carrying a skateboard. Something told her he wasn’t normal, considering he was #99.

He greeted him the same way and offered him a can of juice, which he took with an unimpressed expression and smirked after drinking it all. He caught her staring and approached her, taking note of the two cans of emptied juice nearby.

“Oh, you also drank the juice?”

“Mmhm. Definitely poisoned, but I’m immune.”

His eyes widened. “Wait, you could tell there was a laxative in there?!”

Li was already feeling cautious but also intrigued by the boy before her. “I could tell he spiked it with something. You drank it too?”

He smirked. “Yup! Doesn’t affect me.”

“Huh.”

The boy nodded. “Say, how old are you?”

“Seventeen. You?”

“I’m twelve. Man, since you’re so short I thought you were younger.”

A vein throbbed in her head, her fist knocking the kid on the head. Li was certain it didn’t hurt him, but rather irritated him.

“Oi! What was that for?!”

She shrugged. “Felt right.”

The white-haired boy grumbled a little but shoved his hands into his pockets and huffed. “Idiot. But if you can drink the juice no problem, then you must be above normal. I’m Killua.”

“Li,” she shoved a thumb at herself.

Killua nodded. “Anyways, you know if there’s anyone else my age here?”

The hooded girl hummed. “No, not that I can see. Just a bunch of overly tense or weird guys. A few girls scattered here and there, but they’re not really sociable.”

“Ahhh, that sucks. Welp, guess I just gotta wait now.”

“Yeah,” Lili agreed, watching him sink against a wall, following suit. “It gets pretty boring.”

He looked over at her, somewhat surprised but accepted it as it was. “So, you’re #8? How’d you get here so fast?”

“Secret.”

Killua groaned, glaring slightly at her. “No fair. Just tell me!”

“Hmm…” Lili tapped her chin thoughtfully, “Let’s just say I know some people who know things.”

He glared at her. “What kind of contacts do you have that have you get to the Exam site so fast?”

“I have a feeling you are smart enough to figure it out.”

Killua rolled his eyes. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Good. It was.”

It was his turn to blush. His flustered look caused her to chuckle. “S-Shut up, idiot! Don’t say things like that…”

She lifted a hand and ruffled his fluffy white hair, which he was quick to bat away. “Haha, sorry. I couldn’t resist the look on your face. You kind of remind me of someone is all.”

The boy frowned. “Who?”

Lili shrugged innocently. Killua growled, causing another bout of chuckles from her. She scanned the crowd, catching a bit of interest in the red-haired man dressed as a…jester? Clown? She wasn’t sure, but the mischievous grin on his face made her uneasy.

He was peculiar but undoubtedly dangerous. The man’s golden eyes slid to the side, locking with hers. Lili stiffened, quickly looking elsewhere. She heard him chuckle.

Hopefully, he wouldn’t be a problem if she stayed out of his way.

At least this year’s exam was going to be interesting.

* * *

 

**January 7th**

After a night of flying, Nyx and her new friends found themselves in Zaban City, getting led to the Exam site by one of the Navigators in his human disguise.

Nyx excitedly checked out the countless shops in the busy marketplace they were walking through, eyeing the various goods. She’d never been in a city like this before. Not outside of…business. And during those times, she didn’t have time for sightseeing.

Whatever the son in the Kiriko family was saying went over her head, her senses filled with the sounds, smells, and sights of the markets. Gon grabbed her by the arm, dragging her over to a nearby stall.

“Ny-chan! Look at these!”

She watched in fascination as a man held up a… fried frog on a stick?

“It’s Zaban’s famous panda-frog-on-a-stick! A true delicacy!”

“Whoa… wanna try one?” She nudged Gon in the side.

His face lit up again. “Sure! I don’t have any money though.”

“Hey sir, how much for two of those?”

“That’ll be 400 jenny in total, young miss!”

“Okay, here you go. Thanks,” she said, handing over the change and accepting two sticks, giving one to an excited Gon.

“Wow! Thanks, Ny-chan! I didn’t know you had money.”

“I made sure to take some before I left. Geez, why didn’t you ask Mito-san or something? I’m sure she’d have been more than glad to lend you some. I mean, from what you’ve told me about her she sounds like she cares about you a lot.”

Gon looked away, smiling a bit sadly while staring at his fried frog. “I didn’t wanna ask for such a thing. It took a lot to get her to let me take the Exam, so I couldn’t bring myself to ask for money from her, too.”

_ ”Sheesh Gon, you’re too much sometimes. This is for basic survival! How is that too much to ask?!” _

“I see. I guess I can understand that, but… are you stupid?! How did you think you were gonna survive without buying any food?!”

He laughed, tongue sticking out as he scratched the back of his head. In short, he had no idea. Nyx sighed, rubbing her temples. Gon was sweeter than her favorite desserts and had a heart of gold, but damn he was dumb in some ways. Did he ever think ahead?

“Mmm! This is pretty good! Try yours, Ny-chan!”

She reluctantly bit into the fried frog. Huh. Tasted like chicken, only less gamey and dry.

“Yeah, it’s tasty. Not a bad purchase, right?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh shoot, almost lost track of the others. C’mon Gon!”

“Right behind you!”

They laughed as kids did, exploring other stalls along the way. One dressed up, fancy woman showed off a brooch that was “excavated from Zaban’s underground palace”. Yeah, right. Food stalls, fortune telling, snake-charmers, Gon and Nyx checked them all out. It didn’t matter to them if they were shams since they weren’t planning to pay them. But it was fun to see all the Zaban marketplace had to offer.

“What’re you two doing, Gon? Ny?” Leorio called, “We’re going!”

“We’re coming, old man! Sheesh,” Nyx replied with a bit of sass, earning an earful of how he wasn’t old, he just looked it because of stress and other crap.

Gon was a lot more compliant.

“I believe that is the building,” the Navigator remarked, pointing to an old restaurant next to a huge, fancy building.

The others mistook it for the big fancy one. They were sorely disappointed when the Navigator corrected them. Nyx snickered, amused at their reactions. Leorio complained the most. The Navigator insisted it was the right place, pointing out no one would expect such a famous exam to take place inside an inconspicuous restaurant.

“Well, since it’s in a restaurant, will we be fed? I’m starving,” Nyx chimed.

Just at that moment, her stomach growled so loudly it was audible to everyone around her. Gon smiled, patting his stomach.

“Yeah! I’m pretty hungry too!”

The Navigator smiled apologetically. “I’m not too sure about that…”

“Awww!” the two children groaned, disappointed at the lack of food.

The mouthwatering aromas hit their senses instantly. Nyx felt herself leering at the chef cooking some perfectly seasoned meat on the stove. He ignored her, much to her dismay. She wanted some meat.

“Is the back room open?” the Navigator asked.

“What will you have?”

“The steak combo that opens your eyes to the light. For four.”

“For four… how would you like them?”

“Grilled over a low flame, until cooked.”

“Got it. Let yourself into the back room.”

Nyx frowned, gazing longingly at the cooking meat. She followed Gon and the others into a small room with a round table in the center, complete with four chairs. Not much else to see. Not even any windows. Thankfully, there was an open grill with meat cooking on it, plates, chopsticks, bowls, and various side dishes prepared on the table.

Nyx’s mouth watered at the sight.  _ ‘Yes! Fresh food! Finally! I was getting so sick of my rations!’ _

“Wait here.” The Navigator told them.

“Wait here? Where are the others?” Leorio inquired.

Nyx didn’t care. She just wanted food.

“One in every ten thousand…”

They all turned to the Navigator. Nyx reigned in her patience, refraining from rudely sitting and devouring the food in favor of giving the Navigator the respect he deserved.

“The number of applicants who make it this far. You’ve done extremely well for first-timers. Well, good luck.”

Gon stuck out his hand amicably, his cheery grin plastered to his face. “Thanks!”

The Navigator was surprised by the gesture but shook his hand. “I would be happy to serve as your Navigator next year, as well.”

Well, that was a douche move.

Nyx’s cross look intensified. She opened her mouth to snap at him until she caught the warning look Gon sent her. Frustrated, she groaned and gave him a polite bow instead.

“Thanks… for everything…”

The Navigator chuckled, sensing her hostility. He nodded and closed the door, leaving the four to their own devices in the enclosed space. Surprisingly, the room started descending.

_ ‘Huh. So it’s an elevator? Cool.’ _

“It appears this room is an elevator.”

_ ‘OH MY GOD’ _

“Nooo, really? Because the room suddenly descending and the numbers going floor-by-floor on that digital panel on the wall didn’t give it away.”

Kurapika’s face went from neutral to irritated. “You are even more aggressive and exasperating when hungry than you are normally.”

“Geez, do you ever state something  _ not _ obvious?”

The Kurta bristled, ready to enter an argument with her until Gon broke them up.

“Hey! Let’s at least sit down, okay?”

“Very well.”

“Fine.”

Nyx made the smart decision and sat between Leorio and Gon. She immediately dove into the cooking meat and side dishes, savoring each bite.

Leorio and Kurapika gaped at how fast she devoured her food, slowly eating theirs in comparison.

“What?” she quirked an eyebrow, mouth full of perfectly seasoned steak.

“Man you eat fast, kid. Guess you were really hungry.”

She glared at the taller man. “After hearing my stomach growl that loud, you’re surprised? Maybe if we’d stopped for food I wouldn’t be like this.”

He had the decency to look guilty. “Yeah… guess we should’ve, huh? S…Sorry, kid. Wasn’t thinking.”

Nyx’s eyes widened. She never expected an apology from him. Her face flushed. She wasn’t good with mushy stuff.

“It’s… fine…”

“Apologies, Ny. We should have been more considerate of your needs.”

She huffed, biting into her meat again as she struggled to reply to Kurapika’s honest words.

“You’re welcome. And… sorry for before. I get cranky when I’m hungry and I kinda lash out.”

“You’re forgiven,” he smiled.

The brunette averted eye contact, deciding her food was more interesting. Gon conversed with her about how delicious the food was. Leorio griped about how the Navigator was expecting them to fail. Kurapika pointed out that a rookie only tended to pass about once every three years.

“It’s that unusual?” Gon queried.

“Some cannot endure the exam’s physical and mental strain. It’s also not unusual for veterans to break rookies, who consequently never retake the test.” The blond replied seriously.

“There are also rookie crushers who deliberately never pass the exam in favor of sadistically breaking down the newbies. They get some kind of sick pleasure out of it,” Nyx added, also serious.

The boy in green queried why so many people were ready to do anything to become Hunters, to which Leorio questioned if he was understanding nothing on purpose or not.

His question caused Kurapika and Leorio to clash when they gave extremely different answers.

“Great. Not this again…” Nyx sighed, watching the two boys butt heads, munching on her meat.

She’d already finished hers and grabbed the remaining two off the grill, happily devouring all she could.

_ ‘Even if this was a ploy to make applicants cramp up from eating too much, I don’t have that problem. So I shall happily immerse myself!’ _

“Glory hog!”

“Money grubber!”

_ ‘Wow. Never thought Blondie would go so low as name-calling. It’s a bit entertaining.’ _ The brunette mused, watching them with a hand propping her chin.

She then expected them to look for Gon’s advice since he was the most open-minded of their little group. Which, oh look, happened as she predicted.

Leorio tried to win him over with the fact Hunters were constantly listed as one of the wealthiest people in the world. He was rebutted by Kurapika, who literally turned the table to give Gon his own plea. Basically, that true Hunters worked to protect people and the natural order. It went back and forth.

Blah, blah, blah… everything she already knew.

Gon listened to both sides nervously, chewing on his meat as he did so.

Getting annoyed, Nyx shot up out of her seat and slammed her hands down on the table.

“SHUT UP! Gon has his own convictions and opinions about Hunters that's undoubtedly different than yours! Everyone has varying ideas about the same subjects! Just accept the fact you’re different people and get over your f***ing beef with each other! And leave Gon and me out of it!”

She promptly plopped back into her chair, huffing with her arms crossed. Gon sighed in relief. Kurapika and Leorio were at a loss for words.

The elevator stopped moving, leaving them on the floor B100. A ding sounded, confirming it was their stop.

“Ugh, thank goodness. We’re here.” Nyx stated, getting up to stretch.

Gon happily joined her while Blondie and Four-Eyes trailed behind them, flabbergasted. She didn’t know what awaited them, but Nyx figured it must be a thousand times better than having to sit in that tiny room listening to Leorio and Kurapika bicker.

At least, she hoped.


	5. The x First x Phase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx, Gon, and Co. have finally made it to the Hunter Exam site, but quickly realize the other contestants are no joke. The first phase commences!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying I swear! Also, the updates won't be consistent, sadly. I'm super busy outside of writing. Please leave a comment and give me any concrit you have! Or just how you feel about the story!

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H x H! Wish I did…**

* * *

 

The four filed out of the tiny room into a dark, cavernous tunnel with thick coils of wires running across the sides.

“Strange atmosphere down here,” Leorio remarked, seeing the on-edge stares the other applicants shot at them.

“They clearly differ from the Hunter applicants we saw at the port and in the city. Each is a master, in their own right…” Kurapika commented in a low voice.

Nyx remained unaffected by the change in atmosphere, as did Gon.

“It’s dark here… I wonder how many people there are. Excuse me…” he greeted, but everyone turned away. “Everyone’s really tense.”

The brunette beside him hummed, then nearly choked on air when a little green man started handing them badges with numbers on them.

_ ‘H-He looks like a green, humanoid jelly bean! What the hell?!’ _

“Here you go!” he smiled at her, giving her a badge reading ‘406’. “Be sure you wear this on your chest at all times. Be careful not to lose it.”

Then he walked away. Now  _ that _ was one of the weirdest things she’d seen in her life. She glanced at Gon, shrugging before pinning her badge to the front of her jacket.

“Haven’t seen you guys around before.”

She looked up to find the source of the new, male voice. Nyx glimpsed a portly man with hints of stubble sitting on a massive pipe, his badge reading ‘16’. Impressive. His smile was easy and clothes and hair neat, but something about him wasn’t right. She automatically trusted her gut, deciding he wasn’t dependable.

“Yo.”

“You can tell we’re new?” Gon called.

“More or less,” the man shrugged, jumping down from his perch to greet them. “After all, this will be my thirty-fifth attempt.”

Leorio and Gon were the most shocked. “Thirty-five times?!”

Nyx scowled. She didn’t like him. The fact he’d tried so many times and was taking it again either meant he was extremely lacking in ability and kept trying anyway, or he wasn’t taking it to pass. In conclusion, a rookie crusher. Neither option sounded particularly good.

“Well, you could say I’m an exam veteran.”

“That isn’t something to brag about,” Leorio whispered.

“Indeed.” Kurapika murmured back, unimpressed by the man.

Nyx snickered at their remarks. “Yeah, what a loser.”

Out of her peripherals, she saw the man in question twitch at her much louder comment. Good.

“If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.”

Gon didn’t seem to catch on he wasn’t someone to trust. “Thank you.”

“My name is Tonpa.”

“I’m Gon,” the boy in green smiled, shaking hands with him. “These are Kurapika, Leorio, and Ny-chan!”

While the other two nodded, the brunette huffed. She stared at Tonpa unimpressed, her gaze bordering on hostile. She enjoyed watching him tense up and sweat a little at her expression.

“To you, I’m Nyx. Got it?”

The others sent her befuddled looks, which she chose to ignore. Nicknames, in her opinion, were either to spare people of having to pronounce long or difficult names or an expression of affection. It was the latter in Nyx’s case, so she’d rather not hear the weird man call her “Ny”. It creeped her out.

Tonpa smiled uneasily. “G-Got it…”

“Hey, are there others who have taken the exam a bunch of times like you?”

While she didn’t trust Tonpa, she was curious if he had any advice to share. She pretended not to care while listening intently to his response.

“Well, I have the most experience here, but there are a few others. For instance, there’s him… #225: Todo the wrestler. He’s unmatched in strength. And he’s smarter than he looks.”

_ ‘Pft, I’d like to see him try anything against me. He’d be dead under a minute.’ _

“On the other side, we have #103: Bourbon, the snake charmer. He tends to hold grudges, so you don’t want to end up on his bad side. #76: Cherry the soldier. There are no secrets in martial arts, to him.

“And then… #191: Bodoro, the kung fu master. He’s getting old, but there still isn’t a better martial artist around. Well, except maybe Cherry. Then you have the three brothers, Amori, Imori, and Umori. They perform consistently well, thanks to their excellent teamwork. And #384: Gerreta, the huntsman. He specializes in killing all manner of creatures, by blow dart and club. Those are the ones who usually show up. They’re really strong, but none of them have ever made it to the end.”

Surprisingly, it appeared to be solid advice. She wouldn’t start depending on his knowledge though. He’d try to throw a wrench in their plans for the exam. She could feel it.

“Ah…” Gon was awed by his words, it seemed.

Nyx stood idle while her new friend continued to engage Tonpa in conversation until there was a loud, agonized scream. She whipped around, ready to attack. What greeted her were… glowing red flower petals?

A man in a cape fell to his knees as his arms dissipated into the little colorful petals, pained gasps escaping him. Nyx gaped. She’d never seen anything like it before. Another man stood before the kneeled, armless one. He wore an outfit similar to a jester with bright red hair gelled back to defy gravity. She didn’t like the look in his golden eyes.

“Oh, how peculiar… His arms seem to have become flower petals.”

The man then collapsed. He might have died. The other applicants gave him a wide berth in fear, watching the spectacle with horror. Nyx grabbed a shocked Gon’s hand. He sent a thankful smile at her, sweat beginning to bead on his face. She nodded, squeezing it reassuringly like he did back in the dark corridor.

“No smoke and mirrors here. Do take care. When you bump into someone, you really should apologize.” The clown chided with a sick grin.

Nyx knew he was an experienced fighter and killer just from that moment.

_ ‘Well, that’s one person that I’m definitely not confronting. I might like fighting, but I’m not suicidal.’ _

“That psychopath is back again,” Tonpa muttered nervously, sweat gathering on his brow.

Since he seemed so anxious, she figured the following information was accurate and important to hear.

“Again?” Gon parroted.

Kurapika looked over, interest piquing in the conversation. “Does that mean he took last year’s exam?”

“#44: Hisoka, the magician. Last year, he was a virtual lock to pass the test, until he all but killed an examiner he didn’t like.”

Leorio jumped at that tidbit of info. “And… and they’re still allowing him to retake the exam this year?”

“Of course. Every year, the examiners and test content change, and the examiners are the ones who choose the new content. The devil himself could pass if that were the examiner’s determination. That’s just how the Hunter Exam works. Last year, he mutilated not only the judge but 20 participants that you won’t see this year. Try to avoid him as much as possible.”

“He looks dangerous. That much is for sure.” The taller man agreed.

Nyx watched Hisoka walk away, noticing a yellow jacket tied around his waist in addition to his curled pink shoes, star and teardrop face paint, and long sharp nails. Eccentric and dangerous. There couldn’t be a worse combination.

“Oh, right…” Tonpa exclaimed, rummaging around in his bag to pull out a bunch of canned juice. “A little something to mark our acquaintance. How about it?”

The brunette quirked a brow. Definitely poisoned. If her deduction about Tonpa was correct – which she was confident was – there was no way a rookie crusher would give out free drinks unless it was to ruin their lives. Perhaps a laxative? Yeah, that’d be the right amount of humiliating and sufferable without being lethal. Just enough to make their lives miserable.

Maybe she’d take it just ‘cause she was thirsty.

_ ‘Not like it’ll affect me anyways. But if I do drink it and nothing happens to me, it would show the others it’d be okay to drink it, too. And they don’t exactly have a resistance to toxins, now do they? Or maybe it doesn’t matter, and they still won’t drink it?’ _

“Oh, appreciated,” Leorio grinned, pleased at the friendly gesture while accepting a can, “As it happened, I was thirsty…”

“Oh? Guess you forgot to refill, huh?” Nyx jabbed, getting him back for the time at the port.

The man scoffed, mumbling under his breath. She smirked, elbowing him in the side.

“Thanks!” Gon said, also taking a can.

Kurapika took one as well. “Thank you.”

Tonpa offered one to Nyx, who glanced at him with little interest. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Oi, oi! It’s not polite not to accept, kid!”

“Then what am I supposed to do? Take it anyways and then throw it away in front of him? Isn’t that even more rude, old man?”

“I’m not old, dammit!”

The portly guy held out the can closer to Nyx. “I insist!”

She sighed, deciding to mess with him. It was too damn fun to ruin plans like these.

“Fine.”

Then she popped it open and drank the entire can before anyone could react. She crushed it in her hand, doing a fancy kick to toss it away.

“Happy?”

Nyx noticed the swift change in expression. His smile turned sinister, eyes narrowing in delight. It only lasted for a few seconds, but she saw it. Too bad he’d failed.

“Ah, I suppose… well then, best of luck to all of us!” Tonpa held out his can to toast.

Her companions toasted with him, proceeding to open their drinks. She’d wait for Gon to figure it out. Not only did she trust him, but he’d told her his childhood of tasting the many different mountain grasses and plants Whale Island had to offer. As a result, his palate was incredibly sensitive.

Nyx saw Tonpa’s expression change again when the others weren’t paying attention. Before anyone could consume any of the poisoned juice, Gon spat it out with disgust.

The rookie-crusher was astonished. The brunette beside Gon smirked, hiding her chuckles behind a hand.

“Tonpa-san, this juice must have expired. It tastes funny.”

Nyx couldn’t help but laugh louder. Gon looked at her in concern.

“Hey, Ny-chan, you already drank yours. Are you gonna be okay?”

“Don’t worry Gon. Those kinds of things have no effect on me.”

She sent a look towards Tonpa, who appeared a bit nervous. He was struck dumb by her remark, pleasing her immensely.

Her new friend sighed in relief. “Thank goodness! I was worried your stomach would react terribly!”

Nyx patted his shoulder. “No worries. I appreciate the concern, though.”

Leorio immediately spat out the juice in a violent stream. “Seriously? That was close!”

“H-Huh? That’s strange…” Tonpa replied nervously.

He was starting to sweat. Nyx’s evil smile grew. Kurapika poured his out silently, unamused.

The rookie-crusher put his hands together apologetically, bowing on his knees. “I’m very sorry! I didn’t realize the juice had gone bad.”

_ ‘Wow. He’s so into crushing rookies he goes this far? Pathetic.’ _

Gon smiled. “It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize. Is your stomach okay?”

“Y-Yes… I’m fine.”

“I’ve sampled all kinds of mountain grasses and plants. So I can usually taste when something’s bad.”

“R-Really? That’s amazing…”

_ ‘Oooh, looks like he’s sweating even more. A nervous laugh, too. This is so great!’  _ Nyx thought, a twisted sort of amusement bubbling in her chest.

She had a penchant for thwarting other people’s plots.

Tonpa got up and apologized again, taking his leave.

“Talkative old man…” Leorio grumbled.

“Hm. I suppose now would be good a time as any to tell you the juice was poisoned.”

The other three jumped, shocked at the news.

“Eh?!”

“W-What do you mean, ‘poisoned’?” Leorio stuttered.

“Nothing lethal. Just an extremely strong laxative. It’d probably have you out of commission for three days or so. Good thing Gon’s palate is so sensitive, right?”

“And why are you only telling us now?” Kurapika questioned, frowning while crossing his arms.

“Because I knew Gon would catch the weird taste.”

“Oh! Did you taste it too, Ny-chan?”

She shrugged. Gon was confused. So were Leorio and Kurapika.

“Wait. Lemme get this straight. You knew there was an incredibly strong laxative even though you didn’t taste or smell anything off? How’re we supposed to believe that, kid?”

Nyx gazed up at Leorio. “Didn’t you say earlier that I’m not normal? Let’s go with that. He’s probably a rookie-crusher, which also explains why he still hasn’t passed the exam after 34 attempts.”

“It is rather strange he hasn’t passed yet after taking it so many times…” Kurapika agreed, holding his chin thoughtfully.

Leorio couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Hold up, you actually believe her?!”

“Ny-chan doesn’t have a reason to lie to us, Leorio. Especially not about a random applicant we just met. Right?”

Nyx smiled at Gon, feeling his trust in her was surreal. “Yeah. If I’d wanted to lie, I’d have lied the steaks back in the elevator went bad so I could eat them all.”

Leorio scratched his head, unable to accept the turn of events. “Then why are you okay?! You drank the juice anyways!”

“I’m an exception, obviously.”

“But-”

“Listen. I had training. Poisons don’t affect me.”

The blond at her left tilted his head. “Training?”

She stiffened, glad when Gon interjected. “Wow, Ny-chan! That’s so cool! I didn’t know that about you!”

The brunette smiled, feeling a little proud. “Thanks. It’s nothing though.”

A loud ringing sound stopped all conversation. It sounded like it was coming from the other side of the walled-off section of the tunnel. It wasn’t just ringing though. Nyx thought it almost sounded like a typical plushy sound accompanying it.

Just as she suspected, the wall opened up to reveal a man with neat purple hair and a dashing mustache, dressed in a suit. Did he… did he not have a mouth?

“I apologize for the wait. The entry period for Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!”

Nyx exchanged grins with Gon, feeling her excitement rise. Finally! She hoped it was more fun than everything leading up to this. It’d been pretty boring. Easy, too.

“A final caution. If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you.”

A moment passed with no one taking the opportunity. The man said all 405 applicants would participate in Phase One, then turned to walk in the weirdest way she’d ever seen.

“Of course, no one turned around and left. I’d hoped a few might withdraw.” Leorio muttered.

“After everything to get here, why would anyone do that?” Nyx replied, earning a sigh and reluctant agreement from the taller man.

The pace started picking up, prompting the group of four to start jogging. Leorio was confused, while Gon and Kurapika pointed out the obvious.

“I neglected to introduce myself. I am Satotsu, the Phase One examiner. I shall lead you to the exam’s Second Phase.”

The bald muscular dude in a weird ninja-like get-up asked what happened to Phase One, to which Satotsu replied Phase One already started: they had to follow him to Phase Two without knowing where or when they’d arrive.

“I see how it is,” Kurapika spoke up.

Nyx nodded, understanding Phase One as well.

_ ‘It’s a test of mental and physical endurance. It’ll mess with their heads not knowing when we’ll make it to the next phase, and without a definite distance, we might be running for a long time, possibly at faster speeds. Not a problem for me, Kurapika, and Gon. Leorio is the one I’m a little worried about…’ _

Much as she hated to admit it, the tall man had grown on her. He treated her like a gruff father would, or a weird uncle.

“This test is weird.”

Nyx snorted, looking at Gon. “That’s the understatement of the century, Gon.”

Leorio grinned. “I expect it’s an endurance test. Fine by me. I’ll be right behind you!”

“Hmm, I wonder about that.”

“Shut it, you little brat!”

Nyx cackled, sticking her tongue out at him. He just ruffled her bangs in response. Yup. She definitely had a soft spot for him now.

* * *

 

Li stood when more applicants arrived, scanning them over. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Killua noticed her expression, gazing at her curiously. “What is it? See someone you know?”

The brunette snapped out of her trance, shaking her head, and averting her eyes from the girl in the dark blue jacket. “No. Not at all.”

He glared, not buying it for a second. “You’re lying. Again.”

“What do you mean, ‘again’? When have I lied?”

“Let’s see… when I asked where you got the exam info... when I asked who I remind you of…”

“That wasn’t lying, just… avoiding the answer.”

“Basically lying.”

“Oh, please. Like you’re any better.”

Killua instantly pulled an innocent expression. Were there sparkles around him?

“Who, me? I’ve been honest about everything so far!”

Li groaned, shoving his head away. “You are the epitome of a devilish child. I can already tell.”

He stuck his tongue out at her, fixing his fluffy white hair. “Trust me, there’re others worse than me.”

_ ‘Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean.’ _

Some time passed. The brunette caught glimpses of the new group of four that arrived, watching three of them narrowly avoid drinking the poisoned juice Tonpa gave them. The girl in the dark blue jacket, with dark brown hair in a high ponytail, drank it before the boy in green caught the weird taste. A coy smirk spread across her youthful face.

_ ‘That little show-off. She’s as bad as this kid,’  _ she thought, glancing at a bored Killua doing tricks on his skateboard.

Hisoka caused a scene by attacking a man who nudged his way past him. The man’s arms disappeared into flower petals while he slumped to the ground, lifeless. Li narrowed her eyes, tensing. He was on a higher level than her in terms of skill. She needed to keep her distance.

“I’m gonna go look for Tonpa. I’m craving more juice.”

“Very well. I’m staying here. I left off at a riveting part in this book,” Li replied, opening the book she’d been reading back up before sinking down to sit against the wall once more.

Killua shook his head, eyeing her with a hint of childish disgust. “Ugh, reading. You’re kinda boring, y’know that?”

“I don’t particularly care. Besides, if you find me so boring, why have you decided to stick around me this long?” she asked with a smirk.

The white-haired boy flushed red, avoiding eye contact. “S-Shut up! You looked interesting, is all. And I wanted to see if I could get any answers out of you.”

“Mmhmm.”

He huffed, stomping away out of embarrassment. Li chuckled. What a tsundere if she ever saw one.

The brunette watched him ask for more juice from Tonpa, who was already breaking out in a nervous sweat due to the new group of four and the boy in green’s insane senses. He said something which caused the portly man to sweat buckets, standing there stunned and a bit in fear. Shrugging, she stood, walking over to him.

“Excuse me?”

He jumped. Li smirked inwardly. People like him needed to learn things wouldn’t always go their way. She was pleased with his startled response.

“Do you mind if I have another can of juice? I haven’t had that kind in a while and am craving it right now.”

Tonpa was so shaken up that his hand trembled when he handed her a can. “O-Oh, sure! Here you go…”

She drank three cans dry, crushing them easily. “Thanks.”

He stood frozen in place. Li could see the gears in his mind whirring, trying to figure out how she hadn’t been affected yet.

“Worried?”

“H-Huh?”

“Don’t be. Killua-kun isn’t the only one immune to poisons, after all. I’ve trained, too.”

Then she walked away back to her spot against the wall, reveling in the terrified look on his face. Li edged a smile, then went back to her book.

She normally wasn’t one to mess with people, but Tonpa was the kind of person she couldn’t stand. He needed to be knocked down a few pegs.

“Thought you were just gonna read your book.” The white-haired boy commented, suddenly appearing to lean against the wall next to her.

“I was, but decided he needed another push.”

She wasn’t surprised by his presence. She’d felt it. A smile graced her lips while she turned a page. Oooh, the action was revving up.

“I can’t figure out if you’re boring or just really good at pretending to be.”

“Hm. Well, I can be boring. But I can also decide to do fun things. Isn’t life better when you’re spontaneous?”

“You’re weird.”

“So are you.”

Killua stuck his tongue out at her. “I’m awesome.”

“That has yet to be determined.”

“By you. Not me. And I say I’m awesome.”

“Sure, kid.”

A ringing sounded along with some kind of plushie squeak. Thank goodness. She was wading into treacherous waters with this kid. Getting close wasn’t her thing. Closeness led to attachments, and attachments led to caring and caring led to shared secrets. She didn’t do caring anymore. Not like she used to. Li figured it was time to put away her book, standing to her feet with her pack.

The wall closing off the tunnel opened to reveal a well-dressed and groomed man with purple hair and a thin, curled mustache. Not only was his speech and posture impeccable, but the fact he had no visible mouth threw her for a bit of a loop.

Interesting. He was unmistakably the Phase One examiner.

The man had all of the applicants follow him after giving them a chance to leave via the elevator. She was at the very front, then decided it was too conspicuous and fell back into the crowd of 405 people. The name of who confirmed himself as the Phase One examiner, he said, was Satotsu. All the applicants had to do was follow him to the Phase Two exam site.

_ ‘I see. A test of physical endurance and mental fortitude. We can’t know how long we will be running or for how far. Easy enough.’ _

Li glanced behind her, eyeing the girl in the jacket and her friend in green. She looked away when they noticed.

“I’m gonna go see if there are any other kids around. See ya, Li.”

She watched the silver-haired boy skate away, waving a hand in parting. She realized what she was doing and quickly dropped her head. Lis shook her head, pushing away the thoughts.

_ ‘Just focus on the exam, nothing else. All I need to care about is passing.’ _

Unfortunately, she had a sinking feeling it wasn’t going to stay that simple.


	6. A x Boy x Named x Killua

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nyx and Gon are introduced to Killua, who, due to his nature of being utterly blunt and at times insulting, doesn't exactly get along as great with the former.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay another chapter! I have fun writing these, so that's really all that matters. All I'm looking for is constructive criticism and advice, anyway.

**Disclaimer: Hunter x Hunter doesn’t belong to me. I’m just so obsessed with it that I wanted to write a non-profit fanfic.**

* * *

 

Two hours later, Nyx found herself still running beside Gon down the dark tunnel with the other applicants. She estimated they’d ran over thirty kilometers thus far.

Many others dropped like flies, either stopping from exhaustion or passing out due to pushing themselves past acceptable limits.

She suddenly heard Leorio shout at some kid riding a skateboard, glancing over in interest. Something about cheating because he was using his skateboard instead of running like the rest of them. However, it was never determined how they’d follow Satotsu: just that they follow him.

“No, it isn’t.” Gon spoke up.

“Gon, what are you saying?” the taller man exclaimed.

_ ‘Man, he looks bad. Already sweating after a little over thirty kilometers? Ugh, I never knew he could sweat so much. Gross.’ _

“The examiner only said to follow him. He never said how.” Nyx added.

Why was the white-haired boy staring at them? Was there something on her face?

“Whose side are you guys on, eh?”

Kurapika interjected, remarking Leorio should just conserve his energy and he was just being noisy.

“The principle is that there are no principles.”

For once, Nyx agreed with him. Except rules stated by the examiners, anything was fair game.

The boy slowed so he was riding his skateboard in front of them. “Hey, how old are you guys?”

Gon stared back at him, slightly confused. “I’m twelve years old.”

“Same,” Nyx commented when the boy looked at her expectantly.

“Hmm…”

Her new friend smiled cluelessly. “Huh?”

Nyx frowned. “What’re you staring at us for, Skater Boy?”

The boy frowned back. “ _ Skater Boy _ ? What’s up with that?”

She shrugged. “You have a skateboard and I don’t know your name.”

“Fair enough,” he replied with a shrug of his own, doing a fancy hop off his board and catching it after it flipped several times in the air. “Guess I’ll run too.”

“Wow! That was cool!” Gon exclaimed.

Nyx edged a smile. “Yeah, it was kinda cool.”

“I’m Killua.”

“I’m Gon.”

The white-haired boy looked at Nyx again. She caught his stare, puzzled.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’, dummy? What’s your name?”

She scowled. “I’m gonna be nice for once and ignore that,  _ dummy _ . Call me Nyx.”

After a while, a total of five hours since the exam started, Nyx surveyed the people around her. Kurapika was ahead, but he looked mentally stressed. Probably worrying his pretty little brains out about how much farther they had to go, considering at this point in time it’d been a little over sixty kilometers total. Some person in a cloak ran beside him. She thought she caught a worryingly familiar design on it, but before she could take a second look the rest of the applicants blocked her view.

Leorio fell behind, as she predicted. Gon asked if he was okay, receiving no response. She and Gon glanced back, concerned. The tall man dropped his briefcase, doubled over and panting.

When her friend in green stopped, Nyx did too. To her surprise, Killua followed. Maybe he was just trying to make friends. That was half the reason she applied for the exam, after all.

“Hey, forget him. Let’s get going.”

“Shut up Skater Boy. We’re waiting.”

“Oi, you know my name now! Don’t call me Skater boy!”

Nyx smirked, continuing to watch Leorio with Gon. They could catch up to the group in no time, especially once the taller man fired up again. That was the thing: Killua didn’t know him like she and Gon did. They knew he’d never just give up, especially not in the first phase.

She saw Killua quirk a brow quizzically out of her peripherals. Minutes flew by with Leorio wheezing for air, sweat running down his face. Then…

“Screw that…” And off he went, sprinting furiously. “I’m gonna become a Hunter! Damn it all!”

Nyx and Gon exchanged grins before the boy used his fishing rod to get Leorio’s briefcase. Killua and Nyx found it super cool.

The trio started running to catch up with the others. Nyx spotted Kurapika staring in concern at the fired-up Leorio coated in sweat.

“Let me try that later.”

“If you let me try your skateboard, okay?”

“Hey, what about me?!” Nyx cried indignantly.

“… you don’t have anything cool.”

“Oi, how would you know, Skater Boy? We just met!”

“Stop calling me Skater Boy!”

“Oh! Ny-chan has really awesome wires!”

“Wires?”

Killua looked from Gon to Nyx. The brunette in question flushed, pulling up her baggy jacket sleeves to reveal her intricate wire gauntlets. Killua’s eyes lit up, an excited grin returning to his face.

“Whoa! Those look super cool!”

She smiled, pulling her sleeves back down. “You don’t get to try them unless you let me try your skateboard.”

“Fine, fine.”

“Can I try them too, Ny-chan?”

“If you let me try your fishing rod!”

“Deal!”

* * *

 

About sixty kilometers. That was how far they’d been running. The cloaked girl didn’t mind; this was mild. What she  _ did _ mind was who was running.

Li tried to ignore the blond jogging beside her, but curiosity bested her yet again. She glanced over at him while they ran up a long stretch of stairs, studying him.

There was no doubt about it. According to the intel she had on the Kurta clan, his tabard and the designs on it matched.

_ ‘So there was a survivor? This changes things. Apparently, I’m going to have to adjust my plans now. I can’t imagine what he’s been through… losing everyone he ever cared about…’ _

She snapped out of her musing when the blond turned his head to look back at her. He assessed her as she did the same, somewhat surprised he noticed her staring.

Li quickly looked away.  _ ‘Damn. It seems he’s rather sharp and sensitive. He also hasn’t broken a sweat yet. I wonder if he’s taking the exam to be able to avenge his clan…’ _

That was likely it. She briefly wondered if she’d do the same in his position, swiftly shifting tracks in her mind to avoid such dark thoughts. But how did he expect to take down the entire Phantom Troupe by his lonesome? He’d need extensive training just to take on a couple of them. From what she’d heard, the Phantom Troupe wasn’t to be messed with. They killed whoever got in their way, damn the consequences.

“Was there something you needed?”

Li’s head snapped to the blond, eyes wide under the shadow of her hood. His voice was more feminine than she’d expected, but it somehow still sounded quite manly. How could she put it… refined? That was the closest word she could recall.

She didn’t say anything, preferring to minutely shake her head.

“I see.”

He could pull a decent poker face. To those not as intuitive as her, they wouldn’t be able to tell what he was thinking. He was suspicious. The blond was likely running through potential scenarios in his head.

_ ‘Smart and quick to catch on. I’ll have to be careful from here on out around him as well as the clown. I can’t afford to attract attention. Especially not from anyone dangerous and equally smart. I’ll have to talk to the Kurta after the exam if I get the chance.’ _

Speaking of the clown…

Lili glanced behind her, spotting the red-haired man calmly running with a light, content smile on his face. Somehow, it was still creepy.

Even creepier, he opened his eyes at that moment to lock with hers, golden orbs gleaming with malcontent.

A shiver crept down her spine. Ugh. She needed to stay vigilant. There was no way she’d take any chances with people like him around.

Dread pooled in her gut. This exam was interesting, but… Li sensed things were going to get ugly one way or another, somewhere along the line. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to interact with the clown or the blond much.

At least the latter seemed polite and not prone to prying.

_ ‘And then there’s the little brats…’ _

Killua was an oddball, but he felt familiar. Yet, he was also evidently still just a kid. A kid too mature and smart for his age, but a kid. Li hoped he’d keep his distance, since while she pretended not to care, she was starting to warm up to him. The girl with the jacket needed to be watched, too. The boy in green was interesting, though she could tell he didn’t hold any ill-will.

_ ‘Why so many? I was hoping there’d only be a couple of challenging people this year, yet I’m surrounded by crazy and incredibly strong people. I was also hoping to hold back, but… that might not be a possibility.’ _

Oh, well. Even if she did use more force than necessary, she’d take precautions to avoid killing. Unless it was someone like the clown she was against. Then there were no guarantees.

_ ‘Just focus on the plan. Everything will be fine.’ _

Li could practically hear Fate laughing at her.

More time passed. Eighty-kilometers came and left. Satotsu picked up the pace once more.

Some tall man with glasses charged forward and ran a bit behind her with his shirt and suit jacket tied around his waist. It left him bare-chested, with only his badge plastered to his left pectoral and his tie loosely flying from his neck. He looked ridiculous. But if it helped him, then who was she to judge?

“Leorio, are you okay?” the blond queried.

Apparently, the Kurta survivor and this ‘Leorio’ were friends. Good to know. If she was going to have any civil conversations with him, she needed to learn who he was friends with as to not harm them.

“Sure! Just look at me. I realized that I can keep going if I don’t worry about how stupid I look!”

She couldn’t help but quietly chuckle at how he let out a battle cry, surging further ahead. That one had character.

The blond beside her smiled, taking off his tabard to reveal his white full-body training suit underneath. Li couldn’t help but sneak a peek. She wasn’t sure how much muscle he had, but he wasn’t as buff as Leorio in comparison. Even though he was lean, he was indeed fit if the smallest hint of chest muscles showing from the V-neck in his training suit told her anything…

To her surprise, he looked over at her. She felt her face flush in embarrassment at getting caught.

“Hey, aren’t you getting hot under that? You can take it off if you want; no one here will judge you.”

Li tensed.  _ ‘Thanks, Pretty Boy, but I’ve withstood worse than this.’ _

As her answer, she wordlessly sprinted ahead with ease. She fumed while she did so. From the distance, she could hear him mutter “A simple ‘no’ would have sufficed.”

_ ‘Yeah well, I’ve never been known to “suffice” to anyone.’ _

It might’ve just been to protect her pride, but the girl wasn’t about to show weakness in front of anyone. No exceptions. But that didn’t mean she’d reveal her strengths in the process. It was a bit of a balancing act, though she was confident she could maintain it for the duration of the exam. Hopefully.

_ ‘Dammit, when will this phase end?!’ _

* * *

 

_ ‘Eighty-kilometers now. Wonder how much longer? At least it’s not boring,’ _ Nyx mused, tuning in when Killua called her and Gon’s names.

“Nyx, Gon, wanna race to see who finishes first?”

“Sure. The loser has to buy dinner!” Gon agreed cheerfully.

“I’m game! Totally gonna whoop both of you boys,” Nyx replied with a smirk.

Killua sent a little glare at her back. “You’re on! Ready…”

They all revved up, prepared to start the race.

“Go!”

The trio started racing past the other applicants. Nyx felt her heart begin to pound a little, her competitive nature kicking in.

More time passed. They caught up to where Kurapika and Leorio were. Why Leorio was shirtless, she’d rather not know. Ew, all the sweat coming off him was still so gross.

“See you at the goal, Kurapika.”

Nyx smirked, sending the blond a smug look. “Heh, if you can catch up that is.”

He regarded her with hints of annoyance. She couldn’t help but cackle a little. It hadn’t been easy to figure out how to push his buttons, but once she did, it was hilariously entertaining.

Killua smiled at a shirtless Leorio. “Catch you later, old timer.”

“I’m not old! I’m a teenager, just like you guys!”

She couldn’t help but gape. Gon, Killua, and even Kurapika were all equally shocked.

“Huh?”

“No way!”

“… Are you sure you didn’t just convince yourself you’re younger?”

“Shaddup kid! I’m telling the truth! I’m eighteen!” Leorio shouted at her.

“I don’t believe you.”

“It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not! I’m eighteen! Tch, annoying little girl…”

“Hah? What was that, old man?!”

“I said annoying little girl! What’re you gonna do about it, slap me on the leg? You can’t even reach-”

With a vein throbbing in her forehead, Nyx leaped up and spun her body to swiftly kick Leorio in the nape of his neck, with such force he tumbled to nearly face-plant on the cement stairs.

_ ‘And  _ that  _ wasn’t even giving it my all, gramps!’ _ she thought triumphantly.

Killua coughed to hide a snicker. She glared at him.

“What?”

“Nothing. Nice kick.”

The brunette huffed, punching Leorio in his bare arm before passing him. “If you two don’t hurry it up, I’m gonna leave you behind and win the race! Then you’ll _both_ have to buy me dinner!”

“Yeah right! In your dreams, short-stuff!”

“I’m taller than you, dummy!”

“No, you’re not!”

“Yes, I am, Skater Boy!”

“Stop calling me Skater Boy!”

“No!” Nyx stuck her tongue out at him and sprinted ahead.

“Ny-chan wait for us!” Gon called, feeling a bit distressed at their bickering.

They caught up to her within a minute. The trio pressed on, not showing the faintest hints of fatigue as more applicants literally dropped out.

“I’m impressed that you two can keep up with me.”

“Really?” Gon replied, a happy grin spreading across his face.

“Funny, I was gonna say the same thing,” Nyx retorted, flanking his left. He sent her a look. She sent him one back.

“Or maybe it’s just that everyone else is too slow. Man… the Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze. That’s no fun.”

The brunette had to agree, with the way things were going thus far, it seemed like too little of a challenge. And she loved challenges.

“Tell me about it. Running is so boring.”

Killua seemed perplexed by her behavior. What, did he think he was going to be the only one with surprises up their sleeves?

Gon glanced over at his new friend. “Hey Killua, why do you want to become a Hunter?”

“Me? I’m not really interested in becoming a Hunter.”

“Huh?”

“I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it’d be fun. But this is disappointing. What about you guys?”

“Well, my dad’s a Hunter. So I want to become a Hunter, like my dad.”

“Hmm… what kind of Hunter is he?”

“I don’t know.”

Nyx started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Gon was very open about his missing father but she felt it wasn’t something he should speak of so easily. She sensed Gon held deeper feelings about finding the man. Killua’s laughing didn’t help.

“That’s kinda weird.”

“Really?”

“You want to be like your dad, but you don’t know anything about him?”

“I was raised by Mito-san, so I’ve only seen my dad in pictures. But some years ago, I met a guy named Kaito, who taught me a lot of things about my father.”

“Who’s Mito-san?”

“Aunt Mito.”

“Oh…”

Gon elaborated that his father took the exam at his age and passed, then left the island. The boy wanted to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with him. He also explained some things Nyx didn’t know, like what Kaito said his father accomplished and how he seemed happy and proud to speak of him.

“And what about you?”

She’d rather not say. Gon she trusted because he was, well,  _ Gon _ . But this kid… while he just wanted to make friends, something about him made her hesitate to divulge any information about herself to him.

Lucky for her, the light at the end of the tunnel was finally in reach. The three wordlessly surged forward, leaping past Satotsu while shouting “Goal!”. Laughing, they skidded to a stop.

“Yay! I win.”

Killua and Nyx were not about to hand him that victory.

“What are you talking about? I was faster…”

“I was.”

“You’re both wrong! I was totally the fastest.”

“Haah? In your dreams, short-stuff!”

“I’m taller than you! See!?” Nyx snapped, standing in front of Killua to prove she was, indeed, taller by a few inches.

His face turned red, embarrassed at getting proven wrong. “S-Shut up! It’s only a few inches! I’ll beat that in a week!”

“Oh, so you can control growth spurts now, Stupid?”

“I still say I’m faster,” Gon intervened.

“No, I was!” the other two argued, glancing at each other for their moment of synchronicity.

“I was faster, so you both have to buy dinner!”

“Nope! I was faster. So you and Short-Stuff buy me dinner.”

“No way Skater Boy! I was faster! You two should just admit defeat already!”

Gon turned to an unfazed Satotsu, prompting Nyx and Killua to follow. “Hey, who was faster?”

“I believe that you crossed the finish line simultaneously.”

“Oh… Then I’ll buy you both dinner.”

“Huh?”

“…What?”

“Then you both buy me dinner!”

“I don’t get it.”

Nyx stared hopelessly at her friend. “Gon… you’re not making any sense.”

He ignored them and asked Satotsu if this was the location of the Second Phase. To his and Nyx’s disappointment, they still had a long way to go.

“Hey Gon, how ‘bout we drop the dinner thing? It’s not making sense anymore.”

The boy looked over at Nyx, who shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “Aw, but I was working out a solution!”

“No, you weren’t. You were saying whatever you thought was a compromise for a tie.”

“Ah… you caught that?”

“Geez. We can just forget about it. The race was still fun. Right, Skater Boy?”

He glared at her. “For the last time, drop that stupid nickname! And yeah, it was fun. Better than just running in silence like those other guys.”

“Firstly, I’ll never drop it. And secondly, see Gon? We don’t care. Just let it go.”

Gon puffed his cheeks in defeat. “Fine…”

“So are you gonna tell?” Killua asked, causing her to frown.

“Tell what?”

“Why you’re taking the Exam, stupid.”

Nyx huffed, turning from him. “Well,  _ stupid _ , since you wanna know so badly… I wanna know what else is out there.”

“…huh?”

“Well, a Hunter’s license would let me travel easily. I’ve seen lots of the world for, uh… family business stuff, but not for fun or to explore. I wanna go see new places, meet new people, and get really strong! I’ll discover what I really wanna do in life.”

The white-haired boy stared at her contemplatively for a moment. “Huh. That’s lame.”

“You’re lamer! Taking the exam for fun? Who does that?”

“Me. And I’m awesome.”

“Says you. I say you’re not.”

“Good thing I don’t care what you say then, Short-Stuff,” Killua retorted, sticking his tongue out at her.

She did it back. Gon looked a bit uneasy about the growing tension between his two friends.

Killua was a wild card in Nyx’s opinion. He hadn’t divulged much about himself, unlike Gon who was an open book. She wasn’t sure how much she should tell him. Either way, the boy made the exam much more interesting.

And maybe, just maybe, she’d get another friend out of it.


	7. Don't x Be x Deceived

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first phase continues with Nyx hesitant to trust Killua as readily as Gon, and Li wary of her fellow contestants as Hisoka and Kurapika begin to notice her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know the title sucks, but I couldn't think of much else aside from like, "Numere x Wetlands" or something, and that would've been too generic and lame. If anyone has a better suggestion for a title, please let me know!

**Chapter 7: Don’t x Be x Deceived**

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H x H!! If I did, Pokkle and Ponzu wouldn’t have died the way they did** **☹**

* * *

 

Waiting for the others was boring, but Nyx managed to make use of the time by observing the other applicants and chatting with Gon and Killua. Eventually, a fog rolled in. She figured it was natural to the region, but it’d make it more difficult for the others to follow Satotsu; especially if they encountered any of the wildlife.

She wished she’d brushed up on that info, but she had no idea where she was, so it wasn’t like it’d help much. Knowing nothing about the location and its inhabitants put her on edge.

“I wonder how long it’ll take for Kurapika and Leorio to catch up…” she wondered aloud.

“I’m sure they’ll be here soon! Killua, I bet you’ll come to like them, too!” Gon replied, glancing at the white-haired boy.

He frowned, hands shoved in his navy-blue shorts pockets. “Huh? Not likely. I dunno about the blonde, but the geezer doesn’t impress me.”

“He cares more than he lets on,” Nyx chimed in, feeling his cold eyes on her. “Leorio is the kind of person to fight for you even if he has absolutely zero chances of winning. That’s what I’ve gathered so far. Kurapika… eh, we tend to clash.”

Killua smirked. “Oh? Then I bet I’ll like him.”

A vein bulged in Nyx’s forehead. “Jerk.”

“Idiot.”

“Moron!”

Gon stepped in, pacifying his new friends. “Hey, guys, let’s not fight! We have enough competition as it is.”

Nyx huffed, shooting a glare at Killua, who returned it in full. The trio sat near the entrance, waiting for the other two members of their little group.

Leorio managed to finally hobble out of the tunnel with a slightly winded Kurapika behind him.

“Hey, Kurapika!”

“’bout time you caught up, Kura-kun~”

The blond was panting but greeted Gon with a small wave. He regarded Nyx with a hint of disgust intermingled with annoyance.

“Is this our destination?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“I see. The fog is fading.”

“Really?” Gon responded, standing to grin at the sight of the receding fog and a clearer view of the thick forestry.

Satotsu explained they were in the Numere Wetlands, dubbed Swindlers Swamp. They had to cross it to reach the second phase, but it was also home to several bizarre animals. Many of them were cunning, insatiable creatures who deceived their prey, humans included, and feasted on them. He emphasized they be very cautious, else they’d be dead if they were fooled.

Nyx was back in her normal serious mode. While her skills of observation were greater than most, she’d never visited the Numere Wetlands before, and the hearsay she got prior wasn’t detailed at all. Many of the other applicants grew anxious at Satotsu’s serious warning. After the tunnel exit closed, he elaborated on the creatures of the swamp. It was an ecosystem where animals obtained their prey through deceit. Again, he advised they stay close, so they wouldn’t get tricked.

She, Gon, Killua, and many others took his advice seriously. Nyx desperately wanted to beat this exam, so if sticking close to Satotsu got her to the next phase, so be it. Leorio found it a joke until a beaten-up man started exclaiming they shouldn’t fall for it and that Satotsu was impersonating the first examiner. He showed them a dead creature with a face similar to Satotsu, which Gon was eager to point out.

“He looks just like Satotsu-san!”

Nyx frowned, tensing in anticipation. She didn’t think Satotsu was an imposter. Something didn’t feel right. The man’s timing was impeccable, revealing himself right after Satotsu’s explanation about the area. If he was so keen on warning the applicants and getting aid for his wounds, he’d have approached them immediately instead of waiting around.

The creature the man dragged over was called a Man-Faced ape, native to the area. He explained the Man-Faced Apes loved the taste of fresh human flesh, but because they’re quite weak, they disguised themselves as humans. He tried to make it seem Satotsu was one of the creatures until he crumpled to the ground from three well-placed… playing cards?

Satotsu caught them with ease. Nyx spotted one flying to the cloaked figure, who also caught it. The figure brought it up to their shadowed face to inspect it, their expression hidden.

Everyone went quiet, the attention turning to the attacker: Hisoka. Nyx broke out into a bit of a cold sweat, her hands curling into fists in her jacket pockets. He was strong. Really strong. Stronger than her.

He nonchalantly shuffled his playing cards, chuckling in amusement. Hisoka claimed Satotsu was the real examiner, causing the applicants who started doubting him to sweat anxiously. Satotsu casually tossed the cards away.

The twisted magician elaborated on how examiners are Hunters that do the job without pay and should be able to block the attack.

Satotsu let him off with a warning, which he didn’t seem to care much about.

Nyx saw the cloaked figure drop the card, unwilling to bring attention to themselves. She narrowed her eyes.

_ ‘I can’t see the design on the cloak from here, there are too many people. Dammit, I need to know if that’s really her…’ _

She was distracted by the sight of birds with a vulture-like appearance that began feasting on the dead Man-Faced Ape. The other one pretending to be dead ran away, only to drop dead from more of Hisoka’s cards.

“Nature really can be brutal to watch…”

Nyx nodded in silent agreement, a frown on her face while she pondered. Kurapika mentioned how the dead impersonator was also a Man-Faced Ape. Satotsu called out it’d been attempting to confuse them to lure some of them away.

“We cannot relax our guard,” Killua remarked.

“Yeah.” Gon agreed seriously.

“Absolutely,” Nyx answered, her body tensing again.

The brunette between them noticed how Gon’s demeanor changed. Now that he’d been exposed to what the wetlands had to offer, he appeared more serious and cautious than five minutes ago.

Satotsu said they’d encounter such deceit on a regular basis, correctly guessing many of them were fooled into questioning his identity. If they lost sight of him through the marshes, they’d never reach the exam’s Second Phase. Then he started to lead them away from the tunnel into the wetlands.

* * *

 

She wasn’t far behind the kids when they tied in an apparent race. Something about buying dinner.

Li slowed to a stop, sighing at the tedium of the first phase. She overheard Satotsu say they had a ways to go. Then it was a matter of waiting for the other applicants, until after enough time passed that the tunnel exit closed shut.

A fog rolled in, blanketing the area. She could still make out the tree line and a little beyond it. She caught sight of the blond Kurta, chest heaving from exertion. He was winded, but she was impressed he wasn’t crawling and drenched with sweat like Leorio.

He’d trained, that was certain. His eyes scanned the area, briefly catching her gaze. Li quickly looked away. She knew why she kept staring. But she’d ever admit it aloud. He intrigued her; there was a bit of an air of mystery about him.

Suddenly, Li felt a chill run down her spine again. She snapped her head to stare at the unnerving clown, his golden eyes trained on her in interest.

_ ‘Damn. Has he already picked me out? That’ll be a problem. I need to lay low, no matter what.’ _

She stood unfazed when Satotsu elaborated about their location. She knew of the Numere Wetlands, including the kinds of creatures she’d encounter, so she half-listened to his warnings. She needed to stay vigilant, perhaps even slightly paranoid. It was a tricky place, requiring one’s utmost attention else they’d fall victim to the ecosystem.

Which was why she didn’t bother with the human who suddenly appeared – though she knew it had been lingering around waiting for the right moment – claiming Satotsu was one of the Man-Faced Apes. What did bother her was that when Hisoka decided to throw some of his playing cards to kill the imposter and for Satotsu to catch, he threw one towards her.

She caught it with ease, staring at the face of a Queen of Diamonds. Her eyebrows furrowed together under the shadows of her hood, frustration building in her features. She shook off the desire to throw it back at him, instead tossing it harmlessly to the ground near her feet.

Hisoka, of course, noticed. His excited grin made her tense. Of all people, why did he have to take interest in her? Perhaps it was because she was obviously hiding something, and he seemed the curious type. A twisted kind of curious.

He approached her after the ordeal with the Man-Faced Apes. She kept her face and body in a neutral position, stubborn in revealing anything to him.

“Well, well, that was quite a show, don’t you think?”

“Not really.”

Hisoka frowned, tilting his head as if that alone could let him see her identity. “Hmm, tough crowd. Though, to see you catch my card with ease is…”

She stood unflinchingly when he towered over her, his 6’1” frame heads above her.

“…promising.”

Li resisted scowling, silently walking around him. “You should find a better use of your time. Like following the examiner.”

She started running with the rest of the applicants, ensuring a wide berth from Hisoka. Interaction with him tempted her to vomit all over his heeled shoes.

_ ‘He gives me the creeps. But I can’t face him; he’s clearly stronger than me in more ways than one. I should’ve trained more, but I can’t focus on spilled milk. If I just keep my distance and play it cool, I should be fine. His level of intuition is ridiculous.’ _

The girl in the hoodie had yet to recognize her. Good. The fewer people knew about her, the better. She had a feeling Killua already knew she wasn’t a male, or at least hiding more than he already suspected.

Li sighed.

_ ‘If only the applicants weren’t as much of a problem as the exam itself. So far it’s been easy, and I have enough information on the creatures in the Numere Wetlands to avoid any potential dangers. And yet, my biggest challenge is psychos like that clown.’ _

While she fumed silently to herself, Kurapika found himself glancing at her occasionally. She noticed but decided to ignore it. As long as he didn’t find her a threat, it wasn’t an issue.

* * *

 

Again, they ran. Leorio complained about it, and Kurapika pointed out running through wet ground required more energy.

Nyx jogged between Killua and Gon, more aware of her surroundings than ever before. Some time passed while they ventured deeper into the forested marshes.

Satotsu reminded them to stay close behind him. Leorio was running like an idiot while Kurapika again pointed out the obvious fact the fog was thickening.

She noticed at the same time Killua did what some of the other contestants were up to regarding the bloodthirsty clown. Tension – no, anticipation – filled the air. She of all people knew when someone was planning to kill. And it wasn’t the group of contestants plotting away, but rather their target.

“Gon,” they said at the same time.

Well, that was awkward.

“Huh?”

“Let’s move up,” She continued, beating him to the punch.

He frowned at her. Nyx smirked back.

“Okay. We don’t want to lose sight of the examiner.”

“I’m more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka,” The brunette replied, training her eyes ahead to lock on Satotsu.

Killua’s frown deepened. “Yeah. Staying too close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air.”

Nyx stared at him for a few seconds. There was a sharpness to his eyes she hadn’t realized before; a depth behind his words speaking of knowledge beyond his years. Her mouth upturned into a scowl. She hated him for it.

The brunette felt her hands curl into tight fists while she ran, heart thumping in her ears for more reasons than just physical exertion. Well, it wasn’t exerting to her in the least. But that was beside the point. She couldn’t let him prove he was better than her. She needed to win.

“Smell?” Gon repeated, lifting his head to sniff the air. “I don’t think he smells.”

Nyx felt a bead of sweat drop at her friend’s literal sense.  _ ‘Sometimes, he seems so smart. And then he goes and does this.’ _

“Er, no, not that. He wants to kill someone, and he’s getting impatient. He’ll probably use the fog as cover.”

She laughed at the worried expression he made. “Haha! You should see your face! Don’t worry, as long as we keep our distance, we should be fine.”

She listened to him call back to Leorio and Kurapika what she and Killua just advised him, completely oblivious to the current hostile atmosphere.

“Oi, can’t you feel the tension surrounding us?” Killua asked in a hushed, alarmed tone.

“After traveling for a while with Gon, I can tell you right now he both doesn’t feel it and does not care.”

The white-haired boy sighed at Nyx’s response. It was just a part of who Gon was. If she was being honest, she didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, she embraced it. His genuine nature was refreshing and new.

Leorio snapped back he’d be there if he was up to it. Kurapika told him not to worry. Gon was disappointed, though forcefully pushed it aside when Killua urged they continue.

She and Gon kept pace. Nyx glanced at the boy in green, feeling the need to say something.

“Hey, Gon.”

He turned to her with a quizzical expression. “Yeah?”

“They’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry so much.”

A smile stretched across his face. “I guess I was worrying a lot, huh? They deserve more credit. Okay! I’m not gonna think about it!”

She grinned at his determined declaration. Never had she met someone so… full of light.

After a while of running, screams began to surround the trio as the number of missing applicants increased. Gon pointed it out, seeming perturbed.

“Just stay on your guard.”

Nyx nodded in agreement. She and Killua, much to her ire, were on the same wavelength at the moment. Be silent. Stay vigilant. Never give the enemy an opportunity or opening. She was starting to piece together his background from the tidbits he’d been unknowingly leaving behind. He wasn’t an ordinary kid, certainly. But one who viewed situations like herself.

An assassin, then.

_ ‘Could he be…? No, probably not.’ _

“I wonder if Leorio and Kurapika are okay…”

“I told you not to wor-”

Nyx was unable to finish her reply, for the trio fell in a trap. Inside the mouth of a Frog-in-Waiting, to be precise.

She held in her noises of disgust while jostling around inside the frog as it moved. Out of her peripherals, she caught Killua pouring out cans of Tonpa’s juice.

_ ‘Smart. It’ll make the frog throw us up. Not looking forward to it, but it’s better than cutting our way out and making more of a mess. It’d probably attract more predators, too.’ _

Eventually, they were vomited out along with some slimy bile. Nyx shook it off, regarding it with disdain.

“Ugh, let’s never do that again. So friggin’ gross.”

Gon laughed at her and stared after the frog. “Guess he didn’t like the taste of us.”

Killua held up one of the cans, explaining to him. Optimistic as ever, Gon phrased it as Tonpa saved them rather than his poisoned juice came in handy.

The white-haired boy made sure to include he could’ve escaped anyways. Nyx scowled.

“I could’ve, too. But the smell of its blood and carcass probably would’ve attracted more predators, meaning more distractions for us.”

Killua rolled his eyes in response. Gon voiced he was still worried about Leorio and Kurapika, apologizing to Nyx for being unable to trust their abilities. Surprised, she easily forgave him but agreed with Killua to move on. She believed in her friends’ skills.

…  _ Friends _ ? Since when did she start thinking of them as  _ friends _ ?

While she and Killua pressed on, Gon started to follow. He stopped, apologizing that he couldn’t keep going while not knowing if his friends were safe.

“It’s fine, Gon. We’ll meet up at the finish line, okay?” Nyx smiled.

He smiled back, nodding. “Thanks for understanding, Ny-chan! See you guys at the end!”

She waved goodbye, then kept running beside the white-haired boy. Nyx sensed he was staring at her, eventually irritating her to the point of conversation.

“What?”

“How come you didn’t go with him?”

The brunette looked at him, taken off-guard by his query. “Well… I guess I trust Kurapika and Leorio’s abilities enough to know they wouldn’t do anything stupid. And they’d avoid trouble they couldn’t handle. Even if Leorio decided to be a dumb hero and charge in, Kurapika would hold him back. Probably.”

“Hmm…”

“What’s the ‘hmm’ for?”

Killua sighed, pulling his hands out of his shorts pockets to shrug. “I can’t really figure you out. You’re weird.”

“And you’re not?”

Her quip earned a little smirk. “Like I said, I’m awesome.”

“Out of the three of us, I’d say Gon is the most awesome.”

The boy huffed. He hadn’t known them for long, so it was understandable he didn’t realize the extent of Gon’s awesomeness.

“By the way, is there a reason you feel the need to say you can do everything I can?”

Nyx nearly stumbled at the abrupt question. “W-What? I don’t do that!”

“You literally just did five minutes ago.”

“That’s all in your head, Skater-Boy!”

“For the last time, drop that dumb nickname.”

“Too bad; it won’t be the last time I use it.”

He glared at her while she stuck her tongue out defiantly. “Anyways, I said I could’ve made my way out regardless, and you said you could’ve, too. Back when we were racing, you kept saying it was easy for you and almost boring, too. You wanted to tell Gon about Hisoka first too, right?”

The brunette bristled at his prying. “That’s not it at all, idiot. Stop making assumptions.”

“I can’t think of another reason, though.”

“How could you know all the possibilities?! We just met hours ago!”

“You just seem that kinda person.”

With a vein pulsing in her forehead, Nyx clobbered the boy on the head. A red welt formed as a result, pleasing her.

“Ouch! Hey, that hurt!”

She huffed, running ahead of him. “Good!”

“Why’re girls like this?” she heard him mutter.

“Like  _ you _ have any experience with the opposite gender, stupid! Oh, and by the way, whatever you can do, I can do better. That’s all I have to say about it.”

“So you  _ are _ jealous!”

“I never said that! Ugh, just shut up and keep running!” Nyx snapped, thoroughly annoyed by her new companion.

_ ‘I’m not jealous. I just… don’t want Gon to think any less of me.’ _

How could she ever articulate such a concept to someone like Killua? He’d just chalk it up to jealousy again or feeling threatened by him. They broke through the forest to the clearing and reunited with the main group.

Killua grinned at her. “Looks like we finally made it.”

She was too thrown off by his sudden change in attitude to smile back. “Uh, yeah…”

_ ‘But… why hasn’t he tried to put me down? Does he seriously want to befriend me, too?’ _

The brunette eyed him thoughtfully, noting his smug expression which made her scowl.  _ ‘I don’t think I’ll ever understand him.’ _

They didn’t talk much while following Satotsu. She discovered it wasn’t awkward or unpleasant, either. In fact, she found it a relief not to force herself to appeal to topics or constantly give her opinion. She had more time to reflect, plan, and consider outcomes, all while carefully watching her surroundings.

Nyx wondered what Gon thought of Killua. He never judged by first impressions or appearances.

“So… you’re an assassin.”

Killua faltered, snapping his head to her with wide blue eyes. “Uh... what?”

The brunette rolled her own rich brown eyes. “It’s not like you’re really trying to hide it or anything. Don’t worry; you’re not the only one.”

His eyes grew even wider, much to her disbelief. “Are you serious?  _ You’re  _ an assassin? I mean I guess it explains how we’re on the same page. But seriously?”

She felt a vein throb in her forehead. “Well, I guess I’m the better one then.”

“How the heck did you come to  _ that _ conclusion?”

“Easy: I could tell you were one and you couldn’t tell that I am, too. I mean, I’m  _ kind of _ trying to hide it but it’s not like anyone’s asked. So are you really just taking the exam for fun?”

Killua frowned as they continued running with the main group. “Yeah. What about you?”

“I-” Nyx faltered, wavering between telling him the truth or keeping it to herself for now.

_ ‘The question is: am I ready to tell anyone? Would he even care about the truth?’ _

She sighed, barely registering Satotsu’s announcement that they were close to the second exam site amongst her thoughts.

“It’s… too personal right now. And dumb. You’d laugh.”

“Oi, don’t decide what I’ll do for me! How do you know I’ll laugh?”

“You just seem that kinda person,” Nyx edged a smile, quoting his words about her from earlier.

He rolled his eyes. “Haha, funny. Whatever, if you don’t wanna tell me then just say so.”

“It’s not that. I barely know you, so… telling you something so personal is kinda weird.”

"Hm."

They reached the second exam site, ending their conversation. Nyx and Killua split up to search for Gon, who they expected to have arrived. The brunette reconvened with the other assassin, a slightly frustrated expression on her face.

“Seems Gon isn’t here yet.”

“Yeah.”

She must have looked troubled, since Killua proceeded to say, “Hey, don’t worry. He’ll catch up.”

Nyx nodded, continuing to muse to herself while the white-haired boy chilled beside her.

_ ‘C’mon Gon… don’t make me regret this.’ _


	8. Conflictions x Of x A x Conscience

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Li tries really hard to stick to the original plan of not caring about anyone and fails miserably.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize I wrote so much in Li's perspective until I was already finished with the chapter, but it's fine. Next time it'll be back to Nyx, but enjoy my somewhat mysterious and brooding teen and her issues regarding her conscience! ConCrit is welcomed and appreciated! I'm always searching for ways to improve!

 

**Disclaimer: I don’t own H x H! Well, obviously.**

* * *

 

Li sensed trouble brewing. She noticed the group of idiotic applicants whispering and plotting about bringing Hisoka down, whose bloodlust was rising at an alarming rate.

_‘Better move up and stay out of trouble…’_

She did. Cries of torment erupted behind her, and she caught sight of some massive strawberries when she glanced back momentarily.

_‘Hm. The Noggin’ Luggin’ Tortoises, huh? I’m sure the blond and… Leorio, was it? They’ll be fine. I wish I had time to help the others, but that would both expose my abilities and have me lose Satotsu. I can’t fail here.’_

Yet, against her will, her body halted her momentum and turned around.

“Damn it!” she cried in frustration.

_‘What am I even doing?! Why is my body…?’_

Judging from the cut-off screams of agony she’d heard, Li guessed around 100 ignorant examinees were devoured already. Leorio was simple enough to find since he was clinging to a broken tree trunk for dear life that someone, perhaps himself, lodged between the creature’s jaws. His yelling was distinguishable at this point.

She effortlessly leaped up and sent the tortoise tumbling with a powerful kick to its face, so fast that Kurapika, who’d been watching, gaped at the flash of movement. She ensured Leorio landed safely instead of falling to his death. Li helped him up, looking at a stunned Kurapika.

“Now! Run for it!”

Kurapika turned to her as she nimbly dodged the jaws of another tortoise. “What about you?”

“I can handle myself. Hurry! Go!”

He and Leorio nodded their thanks while she sent the creature crashing to the ground.

_‘This is taking too long. Guess I have no choice…’_

Focusing on her Nen, the hooded girl released her En field. She still had a way to go in terms of radius, since at her current level she could only go up to five feet. Her stamina was better in comparison. Scouring the area, Li concluded there wasn’t anyone else around she could save, so once she had the duo in her field, she decided to follow them.

They stopped after running for a while. So did she, but not because they did; it was because of the chilling, familiar sensation of bloodlust accompanying a dreadful aura. She quickly hid behind a tree, resisting the urge to completely mask her Nen. Li found it difficult to swallow, much less breathe, in fear of bringing attention to the killer in the field just past the tree line.

The fools from before plotting against Hisoka had the magician surrounded, wielding a bunch of measly spears.

_‘They’re fools for thinking numbers would matter against someone like him. It’s a waste of life, but I can’t do anything about it. He’s too strong to face.’_

In an instant, the circle of attackers collapsed, bleeding from various places with lifeless eyes. Hisoka wielded a single card. He relished in making the single survivor squirm, calling for help before a card was embedded into the back of his skull.

She glanced at Kurapika and Leorio, who were both sweating nervously. They were thinking along the same lines as her. Unfortunately, seeing Hisoka in action seemed to shake them more than her. Li experienced far more intimidating auras than his, but the clown wasn’t to be taken lightly.

The brunette watched Hisoka slowly approach the two, who were muttering to themselves before Kurapika yelled “Now!”, splitting off in a direction opposite of Leorio.

_‘Let’s hope his plan works…’_

Hisoka relented, amused at their “wise decision”, as he put it. But when a tall figure reappeared from the fog, he stopped. Li wanted to punch the idiot for coming back.

Leorio talked about how he couldn’t help but return, unable to run away with his eyes closed. She face-palmed at his stubborn nature.

_‘His ideas are going to get him killed! I’m only going to step in if it looks like Hisoka is about to kill him. Which, unfortunately, shouldn’t be long since all this guy has is a tree branch.’_

The tall man swung at Hisoka, who deftly evaded the attack and swiftly moved behind him, already reaching for his head.

Before he could land an attack of his own, however, the red ball of a fishing rod swung out to slam into the side of his face.

Li gaped, her eyes averting to the brave boy dressed in green. _‘Oh no…’_

From what she heard Leorio call out, his name was Gon. Hisoka made small talk with him, pointing out his interesting choice in weapons. When he started approaching the boy, Leorio tried swinging wildly at him again to change his target.

It failed, miserably, since Hisoka knocked him aside with a hefty uppercut. Gon swooped in to strike with his rod, missing entirely due to the clown’s speed. He was using the fog to his advantage; possibly mixed with Nen.

To keep track of him, Li focused her Nen into her eyes, utilizing Gyo. As she thought, it was far easier to follow his movements via Gyo than normal eyesight. The boy didn’t stand a chance.

The brunette tensed from her place behind the tree, beginning to sweat. _‘Come on, kid. Run away!’_

Instead, he kept trying until Hisoka grabbed him by the throat. He held him far above the ground, choking him.

She sighed. _‘Damn it!’_

Hiding her Nen as much as possible, she darted out from her hiding spot to charge at the clown. He was so focused on Gon that he didn’t see her coming. She brought out a special pin, throwing it to stab a pressure point in Hisoka’s arm.

Gon was dropped instantly, coughing on the ground while staring at her in shock. The clown glanced at his arm, surprised at the lack of use, then turned his golden eyes on her.

“Pick on someone closer to your level,” she growled, biting down her fear to glare at him.

He grinned maniacally, chuckling to himself while yanking out the pin and hitting the exact pressure point to get his arm working again. “Wonderful, wonderful! I knew there was something special about you.”

Li turned to Gon. “Hurry and get out of here with your friend! I’ll hold him off!”

“But-”

She nimbly dodged a strike, flipping away to gain some distance. “Shut up and go now! No more heroics from you!”

Gon was rooted to his spot. She saw him shaking like a leaf. Hisoka had terrified him too thoroughly for him to move.

“What’s under that cloak, I wonder?” Hisoka hummed. “More needles? I think you’d have more to your arsenal than that.”

Li refused to answer, watching his Nen with Gyo. An odd shade of pink, reminiscent of bubble gum, reflecting his eccentric nature. It stretched and flowed around him unnaturally, almost appearing as if it had a mind of its own.

_‘Likely a Transmuter. Tch, that means I have to keep using Gyo to avoid it since he’s hiding it using In. If I get caught in that, I don’t think I can survive this.’_

She twirled away from another swing, slicing his arm with a dagger as she did so. The clown didn’t flinch. He gazed at the blood dripping from his wound with mild fascination.

“Hmm, so there _is_ more to your range of weapons. Interesting. I’m getting fired up, now.”

Li glimpsed Gon still recovering from both getting strangled and his terror of Hisoka.

_‘Damn it, he’s too winded right now. I was hoping to stall time for them and then run, but it seems I may be in for more of a fight. If only I’d bothered to stay home long enough to-’_

“Keep your eyes on your opponent~” Hisoka purred, nailing her with a roundhouse kick to her side.

She gasped, recovering quickly and flipping away. _‘He’s got power, but that didn’t even hurt. He hasn’t even used his Nen. He’s still holding out on me.’_

Which was actually a relief. She was also holding back immensely. She disliked revealing her full strength, especially to a man such as Hisoka. It’d only encourage him to fight her further. Additionally, if she did use Nen, he’d still be stronger and more experienced using it than her.

Before she knew it, he was in her face. He slammed her against a tree, strong fingers digging into her neck. The hooded girl gasped for breath, one hand clawing at his wrist and holding back against breaking it, while the other ensured her hood stayed on. She couldn’t risk fighting him anymore and drawing out his bloodlust. This was the best option.

“What face hides behind that hood, I wonder?” Hisoka hummed, his twisted smile causing her to grimace.

Li focused on her breathing. She remained calm but could barely keep her own bloodlust at bay.

_“Crap, if he doesn’t stop soon… I’ll… lose control…”_

The redhead’s expression turned into a shuddering excitement, the smile curling farther. “I really do love that expression~”

She made a point to gasp again, snapping him out of his demented trance to finally release her. Li greedily sucked in air, inhaling the freshness of the forest mingled with the iron scent of blood from those he killed.

Hisoka gazed down at her, a predatory gleam in his unnerving golden eyes. “Do not fear. I will not kill the child or his friend. They passed.”

A few chuckles escaped him. His opponent remained silent, evidently unamused. She stared back through the shadows of her hood unflinchingly.

“Yes, you pass, as well. Although, I’m disappointed you didn’t take me very seriously…”

“You were holding out, too.”

“Oh~ so you noticed! You’re certainly getting my hopes up. Don’t disappoint~”

Hisoka stood to turn his gaze over to Gon, an oddly warm smile on his face. “Grow up and become a fine Hunter.”

Li watched him listen to a walkie-talkie, talk with Gon more, then pick up Leorio with one arm and disappear into the fog. Picking herself up, Li walked over to the boy and glanced down at him, her face shadowed by her hood. She held out a hand while he panted. He looked shaken, panting with beads of sweat trailing down his face.

“Are you all right?”

Gon snapped his eyes to her, forcing a wide smile. “Y-Yeah. Thanks for your help, mister.”

She pulled him to his feet. It was odd to be considered the opposite gender, but it was what she wanted. For the exam, anyway.

“Next time, try not to enter fights against those much stronger than you, okay? Unless you know you can win.”

“But I hit him…”

“Out of sheer luck,” she quipped, flicking his forehead and earning an ‘ouch’, “You still have much to learn.”

He pouted, rubbing the red spot forming where she flicked him. They heard his friend, the blond, calling for him in the distance.

“Gon! Are you all right?”

Gon shakily nodded, coming back to himself. “Yeah. This nice mister here helped me. Oh! What’s your name, Mister?”

“Li.”

“My name’s Gon, and this is Kurapika,” the spiky-haired boy gestured to the blond, who nodded at him.

“Nice seeing you again. Thank you for helping out my friend.”

“Of course. Now, we must head to the second exam site. Unfortunately, the battle made me lose my way of tracking the main group.”

Though Kurapika eyed her dubiously, he didn’t say anything. Gon started sniffing the air and running a certain direction, prompting the two older teens to follow.

“Wait, Gon! Where are you going?”

The boy looked back at them. “C’mon, follow me!”

After running for some time, Gon sniffed the air again. “This way!”

“You sure? You can really tell?” Kurapika inquired, confused by his methods of tracking.

Li remained silent, merely observing the interactions between the two.

_‘Interesting. A heightened sense of smell. He must have been raised in a very remote area with lots of natural, untouched space. It’d give him more time to sharpen his senses rather than play with other children. Maybe an island? It would be isolated enough...’_

“Uh-huh. Leorio’s cologne is very unique. I can smell him from a few kilometers away. And as you can see, there are many dead animals on this path… I guess they tried attacking Hisoka!”

_‘Impressive deducting as well. He isn’t as stupid as he makes himself out to be.’_

“Say, Kurapika… what do you think Hisoka meant when he said… Leorio, Li and I _passed_?”

The hooded girl accompanying them half-listened to the conversation while maintaining her En field in addition to using her senses for hostiles.

The blond to her right contemplated a moment, leaving them a few seconds of only their feet crunching against the ground to break the silence which fell.

“Hisoka was acting as a judge.”

“A judge?”

“Yes. He must have his own benchmarks for evaluating power. It’s possible he was ascertaining each applicant’s strength. Apparently, you, Leorio, and Li must have met his standards.”

“I dunno… all he did was _look_ at me for a second.”

“You were also the _only one_ to get a _hit_ on him.”

“Excuse you, but I managed to not only render his arm useless with a _pin_ but also cut his arm,” Li chimed in, cutting through the thickening tension with her affronted tone.

Kurapika snapped his head to her as if he’d forgotten she was there. In fairness, she _had_ been rather silent. At the same time, she was annoyed at the oversight; especially considering she’d risked life and limb to protect Gon and his friend.

“Right, my apologies.”

“You were _awesome_ , in my opinion,” the dark-haired boy grinned.

She smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere, kid. But I still have a lot to learn.”

Gon returned his attention to the Kurta. “What about Leorio? Hisoka _walloped_ him… but he still ‘passed’.”

“Hmm… perhaps Hisoka is relying on what his _instincts_ tell him.”

“Yeah, kinda like Killua and Ny-chan.”

_‘Ny-chan, huh? So they’re friends now. About time she got some people to watch her back. If only I had time to tell her-’_

Li stopped dwelling on regrets when Kurapika continued his very thoughtful and conclusive spiel.

“I seriously doubt that Hisoka could qualify as a Hunter; he is far too bloodthirsty. However, I must admit that he did impress me with his brilliant technique and nearly _superhuman_ dexterity. In terms of _combat capability_ , I’ve never encountered his _equal_ … and it’s quite common that those possessing special talents are drawn to others with unique gifts. Most likely, Hisoka’s instincts and experience told him that you had the skill and potential to become Hunters. He may have decided… that to kill you _now_ would be premature.”

She couldn’t find any fault with his logic, for she’d experienced the same. Yes, Leorio was an _idiot_ for blatantly assaulting Hisoka as he did, but it also resonated with her to some extent. The same occurred when Gon interfered. She’d admired his audacity and commitment to protecting his friend; qualities which would make an interesting opponent in the future and an excellent Hunter if given proper guidance.

The boy was quiet, running by her side whereas Kurapika had slightly fallen behind while extrapolating.

She glanced behind her at the Kurta, watching the guilt flash across his face in response to the silence. “Sorry… that was out of line.”

“No, it’s okay. I’m starting to understand… the _weirdness_ I felt back there. All those _dead bodies_ lying around… and Hisoka, the killer, walking toward me. Honestly, I was _scared_ ! I wanted to run, but I _couldn’t_ ! I knew I was _no match_ for him! I figured I was _dead!_ But the thing is… even when facing certain death… well, it’s weird… but it felt pretty _exciting_ , too. Isn’t that strange?”

Li opted not to add to the conversation, instead staring at the boy in cogitation. Kurapika appeared perturbed by the boy’s reply. She didn’t entirely understand why he seemed so uncomfortable with Gon’s confession, as she’d felt the same. It’d taken every ounce of willpower to hold back against Hisoka, who excited her bloodlust.

_‘This boy… will either make an excellent ally, or a horrifying enemy in the future. I need to be careful to ensure he’s the former.’_

Unexpectedly, Kurapika looked to her with curiosity burning in his grey eyes. “What about you, Li? What do you make of all this? You are clearly more experienced than either of us, after all.”

She hid her surprise at his query by using the shadows of her hood, glancing away in faux contemplation. “I have nothing to add. Everything you said was correct. I also had similar instincts go off as Hisoka when the events unfolded.”

“I see…”

She wasn’t exactly taking the Exam to have a chit-chat with her competitors. The less talking there was, the more she could focus on what came next.

“Say, Li, I have a question,” Gon perked up.

“I may or may not choose to answer.”

He smiled, keeping his eyes trained on the invisible line of Leorio’s cologne. “What did you feel when you first faced down death?”

Images flashed in her mind. Cold, angry dark eyes. Blood staining the floor. A hand closed around her neck, cutting off her air supply. Blades embedded in her skin, cutting through flesh and bone.

“... I’d prefer not to answer that if it’s all the same to you.”

The boy was predictably disappointed but brightened up immediately afterward. “That’s okay, it was a pretty personal question. Maybe after all of this is over?”

“We’ll see. But don’t get your hopes up.”

Kurapika was staring at her with a mixture of pity and intrigue. She pretended not to notice.

About twenty minutes of running later, they finally reached the peak of a hill in the forest where the rest of the applicants and Satotsu were.

“This is where we part,” Li told them, breaking off to go and disappear in the crowd of 148 remaining contestants.

Gon grinned, waving goodbye. “Okay! Thanks again for the help!”

She waved back without turning.

Li went over to lean against the high cement wall of the gate to the next phase, sighing in frustration.

_‘Ahh, dammit. What is it with these kids that just gets to me? I’m getting too soft.’_

Yet, part of her whispered hopefully, _but maybe it’s a good thing._


End file.
